
j-4ii 



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Book Jl^iL^'^ 

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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



THE ONE HUNDRED &f FIFTIETH 

ANNIVERSARY OF LANCASTER 

NEW HAMPSHIRE 

1 764 '1914 



THE OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE 

CELEBRATION HELD IN AUGUST 

NINETEEN HUNDRED 

AND FOURTEEN 



EDITED BY DAVID M. ^yHlTE 
PUBLISHED BY THE COMMITTEE 



T 



^^ 



'L^U^3 



EDITION LIMITED TO I ,000 COPIES 
THIS BOOK IS NO. 



DEC 16 1914 



©CI,A3S791^lJ 



TO 

DAVID PAGE, SENIOR 
EMMONS STOCKWELL 
DAVID PAGE, JUNIOR 
EDWARDS BUCKNAM 
AND 
RUTH PAGE STOCKWELL 

WHO REDEEMED LANCASTER FROM THE WILDERNESS 

THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 

BY THE CITIZENS OF LANCASTER 

A CENTURY AND A HALF LATER 



Foreword 

LATE in the summer of 1763, David Page 
(Junior) and Emmons Stockwell, acting for 
David Page (Senior) of Petersham, Massa- 
chusetts, blazed a trail from Haverhill, New Hamp- 
shire, then held by the elder Page, to what was known 
as "Upper Cohos," and took possession of the table- 
lands, under a charter issued by Governor Wentworth 
for the opening of a new plantation named Lancaster. 
In the following spring, after a winter of hardship, 
the two youthful pioneers were joined by David Page 
(Senior), Edwards Bucknam, Timothy Nash and 
George Wheeler, forming the vanguard of the settle- 
ment. It has, therefore, been customary to date the 
settlement of Lancaster from the arrival of this little 
company of resolute men, joined later in the year by 
Ruth Page, a young woman of eighteen, destined to 
play a leading part in the infant colony. 

The citizens of Lancaster, New Hampshire, assem- 
bled in town meeting an hundred and fifty years later, 
voted, upon motion of Merrill Shurtleff, Esquire, to 
observe the 150th Anniversary of the Settlement. 
In accordance with that motion a sum of money, later 
increased by private subscriptions, was appropriated 
and a managing committee of nine was appointed — 
three members by the Board of Trade, three by the 
Unity Club, and three by the local Granges. 

The success of the Anniversary held upon August 
9th, 11th, 12th and 13th, 1914, was such as to lead the 
Committee, in response to requests, to perpetuate the 
records in the form herewith submitted. 



Anniversary Prayer 

Rev. William Palmer Ladd. 

O ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, in the midst of these 
our rejoicings we would lift up oiu- heads to Thee, our 
Father, our Creator and Redeemer, the Source of every 
good! 

We thank Thee that a century and a half ago our 
forefathers chose this beautiful corner of Thy universe to be their 
home and ours; and that they wrought here the beginnings of a 
Christian community which in the course of years has fallen to 
our lot. We thank Thee that Thy governing hand was over them, 
that to the generations since their day, and to us. Thou hast given 
so many proofs of Thy continuing favor. And, with hearts full 
of gratitude to Thee, and to them, we would here to-day dedicate 
ourselves anew to Thee and Thy service. 

We pray that the rich heritage which has come down to us; 
these beautiful valleys and uplands; these streets and farms and 
homes; the blessings of Christian civilization, of law and justice 
and liberty; the innumerable and inestimable privileges connected 
with state and family and religion may not find us unworthy heirs. 
May we be ever mindful of the duties and responsibiUties which 
such blessings entail. May they ever spur us on to higher and 
nobler attainment. And may we so live and labor in this our day 
and generation as to pass on to our sons and daughters a yet 
richer heritage of blessing and opportunity. 

In this hour so joyful to us, but elsewhere so dark with war and 
threatening, when Christian principles have been trodden under 
foot and the brutal instincts of men are about to be let loose in 
widespread and awful carnage, we would remember that right- 
eousness alone exalteth a nation, that only in peace and good will 
is there any national honor and glory; and in the spirit of the 
founders of the republic we would resolve to strive and suffer and 
pray for a deeper and wider fellowship, a truer freedom, and an 
enduring peace among all the sons of men. 

Grant that in the years that are to come this community may do 
its share loyally and unselfishly in the world's work. May it 
make some worthy contribution toward the solution of the 
problems, the bearing of the burdens, the achievement of the 
tasks which Thou in Thy goodness dost lay upon each successive 
generation of men. May its schools be fruitful to promote sound 
learning and good citizenship, its churches given to every good 
work, its family life pure, its social and political life marked by 
devotion to every lofty and worthy ideal. May its sons and daugh- 
ters, whether here or abroad, valiantly and faithfully play their 
several parts, so that from this place already hallowed by so many 
beautiful and sacred memories there may go forth mighty in- 
fluences for the increase and trimnph of Thy kingdom in state and 
nation and throughout all the earth. 

All which we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our 
Lord. Amen. 



Impressions from the 
Anniversary 

t'fT-^HE Brave Men and Women Who Redeemed 
I Lancaster from the Wilderness" were justly hon- 
A ored on the ninth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth 
of August, Nineteen Hundred and Fourteen, when, in response 
to a command by the citizens, the gates were thrown open 
and absent sons and daughters were bidden to return and 
unite with those "at home" in a gladsome celebration, that 
as far as possible the family might again be together, and in 
a spirit of thanksgiving join in the praises of those that had 
builded and passed on. It was believed also that these peans 
might be an inspiration to the youth of the Town, representing 
to a great degree the blood of the founders, and lead them 
to honor and respect to a higher degree the rugged honesty 
and simplicity of their ancestry, and thereby guard securely 
and unceasingly the welfare of the community. 

An event, green in memory, may, if its impression be favor- 
able, induce exaggeration. Yet he that reads in the distant 
future these printed records of the 150th Anniversary of the 
Settlement of Lancaster may know that after the echoes of 
martial music had ceased and hall and temple had been 
stripped of their gala dress there still remains undimmed the 
glory of this home-coming and its attendant features. A 
calm and dispassionate judgment stamps it as a great success, 
and one which was, for its time, in every sense a fitting tribute 
to the settlement of a community that is especially happy in 
the loyalty of its citizenship. 

[7] 



LANCASTER 

The 150th Anniversary of Lancaster opened under most 
auspicious circumstances, for the sun from a cloudless sky 
smiled upon completed and thorough preparations. None 
of the little omissions that often mar a success was in evi- 
dence, and Lancaster was ready for its fete. Ideal weather, 
as necessary to success as it is beyond human control, marked 
the entire period although the opening concert of Tuesday 
evening followed a severe storm. Wednesday and Thursday 
were "the fairest of the fair," proving the assertion ofttimes 
made that a perfect summer day in the land of the White 
Mountains cannot be excelled. 

The event is worthy of record, not because of its greatness, 
but because of its quality and character and the spirit that 
permeated the whole. These three points above all else are 
what we would emphasize as the memorable features of Lan- 
caster's great holiday. The result of this trinity delighted 
Lancaster and charmed her guests. It might perhaps be 
said that these things were possible because, as must be the 
case in the city celebrations, they were not sacrificed to 
"magnitude." The personal element, ever predominant in 
a community of three thousand, is typified in an affair of this 
character by a series of events that indicate not the work of 
paid artisans, but of those inspired by keen interest and a 
desire to do well the task assigned. It is the natural conclu- 
sion of the foregoing remarks that the Anniversary was ably 
conducted by its Committee and heartily supported by the 
townspeople, who welcomed with open hearts their many 
guests, and entertained them with offerings of superior quality 
amid a charming setting and with no discordant note to blur 
the record or leave unhappy memory. 

The enthusiasm of Lancaster's men and women had not 
been kindled and quickly exhausted at the outset. Rather 
it moved much as the plot in a story that carries the necessary 
action through the various chapters and reaches its climax at 
the end. There was much preliminary work to do and there 
were workers to do it, for the response was uniformly hearty. 

[8] 




I ^ -i 

441 






^ ^5 



aq 



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:s: ^1 ^ 



2 o ~ 



ANNIVERSARY 

Lancaster was eager to do honor to those men and women 
who gave the Town her birth, hence the Anniversary was the 
result of the wilhng and loving service of many. 

For weeks the citizens had hoped that the warmth of their 
welcome might reach broadcast over the land and into the 
hearts and homes of those men and women whom duty had 
called to other cities and towns. They, as a people, wished 
once more to greet the former residents, and have them join 
in the tribute to a common ancestry. The hope was fulfilled, 
for Lancaster had a ''home-coming" that will remain a bright 
spot in her history. Homes were thrown open and the very 
atmosphere was charged with a spirit of welcome and hospi- 
tality that in itself would have made the Anniversary a suc- 
cess. The welcome was genuine, and the joy of the returning 
son and daughter was reflected upon smiling faces. Families 
were united for the first time in years, while the embers of old 
friendships blazed anew as the days of the long ago were lived 
again. None needs attempt to record on printed page just 
what these meetings signified to some or to picture the joy 
of the home-coming at many Lancaster hearths. Yet it can 
be said that long after the glitter and glamour have been 
forgotten there will remain the recollection of this intimate 
gathering, for it resembled from first to last no one thing so 
strikingly as a family re-union, a meeting of people of common 
interests, all eager to honor the little band of first settlers. At 
such a time it was not strange that thought should stray from 
the scene of animated beauty to the past and to those that had 
helped create and maintain this Lancaster of to-day. But 
for these moments of tender reminiscence the resemblance 
to the family re-union would have been incomplete. Yet it 
was after all a period of joy and thanksgiving, and this was 
the dominating note of the re-union. Nor did Lancaster in 
her rejoicing forget "the stranger within her gates" for he, 
too, was made to feel the welcome and invited to participate 
in the festivities. 

When Emmons Stockwell and the younger David Page 

[9] 



LANCASTER 

pitched their camp on what is now known as the Holt on 
Homestead, perhaps utterly oblivious to the scenic charms of 
the environment, since sustenance was their chief concern, 
they chose an abode where nature had lavished her riches, 
and whose ph\'sical charms can be surpassed by few, if any, 
of the wonder spots in this wide expanse of rugged beauty. 
It was in such a setting as this that Lancaster was privileged 
to observe her Anniversary. Thus it was that inheritance 
willed the charming settlement, walled in by lesser mountain 
ranges with the more lofty peaks looming up as the outer 
background. Two rivers, following their snake-like courses 
through the valley and watering fertile fields rich with promises 
of a coming harvest, together 'with neighboring lakes and 
bordering groves, added the variety to a picture whose many 
colors cannot be reproduced but so striking as to cause the 
artist to hesitate in his travels and to admire. Before man 
had lifted his hand God had made Lancaster "a thing of 
beauty." 

Blessed by what nature had accomplished in providing a 
regal setting, the citizens responded and the Town took on 
a gala appearance such as it had never before known. The 
red, white and blue, insignia of the holiday spirit, was every- 
where. Several professional decorators labored for ten days 
or more in putting Lancaster in a dress to match her mood. 
Every business block without exception in Lancaster was 
decorated for the occasion, thousands of flags and many 
thousands of yards of bunting being used. The public build- 
ings, including the Town Hall (and Masonic Temple), Court 
House, High School and Academy, Grammar School, and the 
old Court House led the way for an elaborate display of fes- 
toons and drapings. On either side of Lancaster's famous one- 
mile Main Street were placed, at intervals of about a rod, small 
arches made by festoons of flags. Centennial Park at night 
was ablaze with colored lights, and very many of the private 
residences were also gay with bunting and National colors. 

The mountainous walls about Lancaster are not a token of 

HO] 



N N I V E R 



seclusion. There are gateways at North, South, East and 
West through which one may enter at any time and be cor- 
dially received. At the Anniversary period huge banners of 
"Welcome" were suspended across each gateway, expressing 
to stranger and guest, as they entered, the sentiment of the 
community. It was the keynote of the occasion, the sincere 
hospitality that resulted in the spirit necessary to make the 
Anniversary an event of exceptional importance and enjoy- 
ment. The citizens of Lancaster, eager to do honor to the 
founders, anxious to welcome home the former residents, 
hopeful of entertaining many strangers, co-operated as a 
united people in making a success of the celebration. Where 
all lift and none retards, where cordiality rings true and the 
false note is hushed, there is sure success. 

The hardihood and perseverance of the first settlers, with 
the touch of romance provided by the love of Emmons Stock- 
well and Ruth Page, and a most commendable record of 
achievement in the intervening century and a half, gave 
Lancaster an inspiring theme. Nature, not to be outdone, 
furnished a perfect background, and man, thus properly 
attuned, donned the colors of the fete, filled his heart with 
cheer and summoned the best talent at his command to en- 
tertain and to instruct; and thus it happens that the 150th 
Anniversary of Lancaster's Settlement is written as an honor 
to the men, women and children whose united efforts made it 
possible. 



11] 



The Celebration 



LANCASTER'S Anniversary opened with religious 
exercises, the pastors of local churches drawing lessons 
from the occasion as topics for their sermons on 
Sunday, August 9th. 

Monday was a day of final preparation to receive the host 
of visitors that commenced to arrive the next day. The storm 
of Tuesday afternoon had cleared in time for the evening's 
opening concert when a thousand and more met under the 
elms of Centennial Park and listened to the excellent concert 
by Nevers' Second Regiment Band of Concord. Dances by 
Camp Fire Girls, scenes from "Cinderella," and other enter- 
taining features added to the enjoyment of all that were 
making the occasion a social gathering. 

Bright sun and clear skies greeted host and guest on Wednes- 
day, and early in the forenoon many gathered in front of the 
Lancaster House to listen to another concert by the band 
that had so successfully entertained upon the previous even- 
ing. At ten o'clock in the forenoon the streets were lined 
with people awaiting the start of the great parade of civic and 
fraternal organizations, intended as one of the features of the 
program, and in reality surpassing expectations. The officials 
had the preliminary arrangements so complete that the line 
started promptly, proceeding to the upper end of Main Street 
and countermarching, while on either side stood men, women 
and children admiring the procession of floats and uniformed 
companies. When the column too soon had ended its march, 
residents and visitors appreciated that this Anniversary was 
to be no ordinary occasion and they were ready for the best 

[12] 




Hon. Edmund Sullivan 
Miss Mary N. Brackett 



Gov. Felker 



Mr. F. W. Baker 
Mr. I. W.Quimby 



N N I V E R S 



that could be offered. Anything less in the remaining num- 
bers of the program would have been a disappointment — 
but there was no disappointment. 

At noon the company with hardly an absent member gath- 
ered about a veiled pile on Centennial Park. On a nearby 
platform were seated members of Unity Club, Town Officers 
and others. The lifting of the veil revealed the Memorial, 
presented to the Town of Lancaster by Unity Club, with 
appropriate exercises. It was the culmination of years of 
earnest thought and effort on the part of these women, loyal 
to Lancaster and devoted to her traditions. It was the dedi- 
cation of the Memorial, a huge boulder surmounted by a 
bronze fox, that is for all time to stand as the expression of 
the honor paid to Lancaster's first settlers by their descendants. 
It was appropriate that at the conclusion of these exercises the 
company should form into little parties and family groups 
and enjoy a picnic luncheon on the beautiful Park. 

At two o'clock the picnickers, augmented by many hundreds 
of others, moved to the space about the big platform and there 
listened to the principal literary exercises of the Anniversary, 
where the story of Lancaster's early days, the record of achieve- 
ment of her sons and daughters, the beauties of her environ- 
ment and the virtues of her people were extolled by eloquent 
tongues. The speakers, excepting His Excellency, the Govern- 
or, were either sons or former residents of Lancaster. There 
was a program of singing, dancing and instrumental music, 
and the mid-afternoon festival in a delightful setting closed, 
leaving in the hearts of all a little warmer affection for their 
Lancaster. 

It was late afternoon when it became necessary to abbrevi- 
ate the afternoon program to permit a moment of rest before 
the "Olden Tyme" Party in the Town Hall (Opera House). 
This concert and dance in the hall, gay with its decorations 
and bright with its many lights, attracted a crowd that filled 
gallery and floor. The concert by the orchestra was followed 
by a program of old-time dances in which many participated. 

[13] 



LANCASTER 

The spirit of the occasion made the dance one of wholesome 
enjoyment and brought to the dance floor many that had 
deserted it years ago with the advance of years and the advent 
of the newer dances. The closing dance was also the closing 
number of a memorable day, one rich in its opportunities for 
pleasure, instruction and reminiscence. 

It was thought hardly probable that the program of Thurs- 
day could be in harmony with the excellence of the previous 
events, but it did in reality continue the same high standard. 

The day opened with another band concert in which the 
talented musicians added to the good favor they had already 
secured. At eleven o'clock the streets were once more alive 
with an expectant people. The sounds of music heralded the 
approach of as pretty a sight as one could wish to see, nearly 
a score of motor cars, each one of which represented the artistic 
taste of designer and decorator and the expenditure of time 
and money without stint. Through Main Street and the 
principal thoroughfares of Lancaster the parade moved on 
amid shouts of applause, and terminated at Centennial Park 
before a living flag, depicted by about two hundred girls and 
boys in red, white and blue. 

Once again upon the Park a picnic luncheon was held, and 
the afternoon program gave guests an opportunity either to 
drive to the summit of Mt. Prospect where Senator John W. 
Weeks has erected his summer home and the observation tow- 
er, or to attend the ball game. The former was for the few 
and the latter for the many. The charming view from Mt. 
Prospect and the equally charming hospitalitj^ of the hosts 
made the Mt. Prospect trip one of the notable events of a 
notable occasion to those that motored up the mountainside. 
Few baseball games have been played in Lancaster before a 
larger crowd than that which lined the field and filled the stand 
Thursday afternoon. It was a distinctly holiday crowd that 
cheered and appreciated the playing of " Union A. A. " of West 
Stewartstown and "Lancaster" in a close and exciting con- 
test, won by the former by a score of 3 to 2. 

[14] 



ANNIVERSARY 

The Town Hall was again filled to the doors on Thursday 
evening to witness the rising of the curtain upon the drama, 
"The Founders, " which was to fall as well upon the concluding 
act of the Anniversary. No more fitting climax to the cele- 
bration could have been secured than this two act drama, 
telling the story of Lancaster's settlement, written by a citizen 
of Lancaster and interpreted by a Lancaster cast. 

Thus was brought to an end Lancaster's 150th Anniversary 
that tested and approved the calibre, talent and ingenuity 
of her people. It will be remembered for its genuineness and 
the absence of sham and gaudy display. Its influence will 
remain for generations with its emphasis upon those qualities 
of manhood and womanhood that led the Stockwells, Buck- 
nams and Pages to build wisely and not in vain. 



[15 



Anniversary Sunday 

THE first settlers of Lancaster were God-fearing and 
God-loving men and women. The youth of many of 
them had been passed in settlements which had been 
established about the Church as a centre, and hence Chris- 
tianity was an active and not a passive factor in their lives. 
At the first proprietors' meeting a grant of land was set apart 
"for the first clergyman to settle in Lancaster." Even with 
this inducement there was no local preaching until 1787 when 
Rev. Lathrop Thompson was engaged to deliver sermons upon 
six consecutive Sundays "for five bushels of wheat per day." 
The interest however was such as to warrant the building of 
a church edifice in 1794 and here "Parson" Willard preached 
a creed that was broad enough to include all and to satisfy all. 
It was natural, therefore, that the opening exercises of 
Anniversary Week should be of a religious character. Ac- 
cordingly on Sunday, August 9th, the four churches of Lan- 
caster held special services in which the lessons of the settle- 
ment or the intervening history of Lancaster was the theme. 
Although no special effort was made to draw larger congrega- 
tions than usual, the auditoriums were well filled and a large 
proportion of the citizenship listened to able sermons and 
delightful music. The latter was of an appropriate character, 
and the altars were profusely decorated with cut-flowers and 
plants. During the week the church buildings were also 
decorated and remained open for all those who might wish to 
enter. 

[16] 



N N I V E R 



All Saints' Catholic Church 

Rev. D. Alexander Sullivan, Preacher 

(Synopsis) 

Text: "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward 
me?"— Psalm 116 : 12. 

To press the duty of thankfulness to God there is no need. It is too 
deeply engraven in the heart. What an odious thing do we all esteem 
ingratitude to be! Every blessing we enjoy in the order of nature or grace 
is a gratuitous bounty of our Creator; "Every perfect gift is from above, 
coming down from the Father of lights." The claims which Almighty 
God has on om- gratitude are innumerable and infinite. 

Like the angels that surround God's throne the blessings which God 
has given each one of us are an infinitude that no one can number. They 
are in the air and in the hght. They are invisible, and in the kingdom of 
grace; they live in the past as we look back to-day on the small and humble 
beginnings of our good Town and community; they crown the ';/resent and 
we build confidently on their fertile futures. 

Who shall count the blessings which God has showered upon this favored 
community? With truth indeed can God say of the land, "What is there 
I should have done for my vineyard and have not done?" All that men 
prize is here — broad fields, a fertile soil, a favoring cUmate, a wealth of 
streams and rivers and mountains that rise in majestic beauty. 

If we are to learn from the centuries past, not vain fable, but practical 
truth, and not mere requiems over dead sins, but revelations which illumine 
the future, let us hear the voices which speak to us from the grave of strong 
men and faithful women, and draw inspiration from their lives . 

Let its dead past bury its dead; but not all the past is dead. The cour- 
age, the self-sacrifice, the heroism of the founders of our good Town will 
never die. The glory of court and battlefield is but a gilded bauble com- 
pared to the lasting glory, which true moral greatness wears for those who 
in obscurity and hardship laid the foundation of our Town and community. 
They did their duty well — and now for ours. 



[17] 



N C A S T E R 



Congregational Church 

Rev. CLI^fTON W. Wilson, Preacher 

"And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the 
midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according 
unto the number of the tribes of the Children of Israel: 

"That this may be a sign among you, that when your children aak their fathers in time 
to come, saying what mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, that the waters 
of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the Covenant of the Lord; when it passed over 
Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto 
the Children of Israel forever." — Joshua 4 : 5-7. 

In studying the history of the words of the text we find that at last the 
time had come for Israel to enter the promised land. The narrative relates 
how God miraculously caused the waters of the Jordan to divide for the 
people to pass over into the new land of promise, under the leadership of 
Joshua. The Lord then directs Joshua to arrange for a memorial which 
shall commemorate this great event for all time. Twelve men are selected 
(from each tribe a man) each one of whom shall bear on his shoulder from 
the midst of Jordan a stone, and the twelve stones are erected as a memorial 
on the other side of the Jordan where they lodged the first night after the 
river had been so wondrously passed over. It is expressly stated, as we 
have read, that these stones should serve the pm-pose of reminding the 
coming generations of the care and deliverance of God as a great memorial; 
and the entire narrative forms the interesting record of one of the first 
historic memorials to be found in the history of the world. 

At this point it will be well to observe that one of the great reasons why 
the Bible stands as the "Book of Books," unique in the history of the 
world's literature and sacred writings, is because the scenes recorded are 
not simply those belonging to the life of the ancient people of Israel, but 
they are ever great type scenes of human life, and fit into the fife conditions 
of every age, and it requires but little observation to discover that the 
same principles that pertain to the ancient memorial of the Jordan reach 
down to every true memorial and every true anniversary; so that we find 
the connection very close at this time between this ancient record and our 
present Anniversary and the memorial stones which are already in place 
in commemoration of the heroic and noble founders of this Town of Lan- 
caster. 

[18] 




i'nilarian Church 
Methodist Church 
St. Paul's Church 
All Saints' Church 



Anniversary Sunday 

THE first settlers of Lancaster were God-fearing and 
God-loving men and women. The youth of many of 
them had been passed in settlements which had been 
established about the Church as a centre, and hence Chris- 
tianity was an active and not a passive factor in their lives. 
At the first proprietors' meeting a grant of land was set apart 
"for the first clergyman to settle in Lancaster." Even with 
this inducement there was no local preaching until 1787 when 
Rev. Lathrop Thompson was engaged to deliver sermons upon 
six consecutive Sundays "for five bushels of wheat per day." 
The interest however was such as to warrant the building of 
a church edifice in 1794 and here "Parson" Willard preached 
a creed that was broad enough to include all and to satisfy all. 
It was natural, therefore, that the opening exercises of 
Anniversary Week should be of a religious character. Ac- 
cordingly on Sunday, August 9th, the four churches of Lan- 
caster held special services in which the lessons of the settle- 
ment or the intervening history of Lancaster was the theme. 
Although no special effort was made to draw larger congrega- 
tions than usual, the auditoriums were well filled and a large 
proportion of the citizenship listened to able sermons and 
delightful music. The latter was of an appropriate character, 
and the altars were profusely decorated with cut-flowers and 
plants. During the week the church buildings were also 
decorated and remained open for all those who might wish to 
enter. 

[16] 



ANNIVERSARY 



All Saints' Catholic Church 

Rev. D. Alexander Sullivan, Preacher 

(Synopsis) 

Text: "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward 
me?"— Psalm 116 : 12. 

To press the duty of thankfulness to God there is no need. It is too 
deeply engraven in the heart. What an odious thing do we all esteem 
ingratitude to be! Every blessing we enjoy in the order of nature or grace 
is a gratuitous bounty of our Creator; "Every perfect gift is from above, 
coming down from the Father of hghts." The claims which Almighty 
God has on our gratitude are innumerable and infinite. 

Like the angels that surround God's throne the blessings which God 
has given each one of us are an infinitude that no one can number. They 
are in the air and in the hght. They are invisible, and in the kingdom of 
grace; they Uve in the past as we look back to-day on the small and humble 
beginnings of our good Town and community; they crown ^he present and 
we build confidently on their fertile futures. 

Who shall count the blessings which God has showered upon this favored 
community? With truth indeed can God say of the land, "What is there 
I should have done for my vineyard and have not done?" All that men 
prize is here — broad fields, a fertile soil, a favoring cUmate, a wealth of 
streams and rivers and mountains that rise in majestic beauty. 

If we are to learn from the centuries past, not vain fable, but practical 
truth, and not mere requiems over dead sins, but revelations which illumine 
the future, let us hear the voices which speak to us from the grave of strong 
men and faithful women, and draw inspiration from their lives. 

Let its dead past bury its dead; but not all the past is dead. The cour- 
age, the self-sacrifice, the heroism of the founders of our good Town will 
never die. The glory of court and battlefield is but a gilded bauble com- 
pared to the lasting glory, which true moral greatness wears for those who 
in obscurity and hardship laid the foundation of our Town and community. 
They did their duty well — and now for ours. 



[17] 



LANCASTER 



Congregational Church 

Rev. Clinton W. Wilson, Preacher 

"And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the 
midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according 
unto the number of the tribes of the Children of Israel: 

"That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time 
to come, saying what mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, that the waters 
of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the Covenant of the Lord; when it passed over 
Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto 
the Children of Israel forever. " — Joshua 4 : 5-7. 

In studying the history of the words of the text we find that at last the 
time had come for Israel to enter the promised land. The narrative relates 
how God miraculously caused the waters of the Jordan to divide for the 
people to pass over into the new land of promise, vmder the leadership of 
Joshua. The Lord then directs Joshua to arrange for a memorial which 
shall commemorate this great event for aU time. Twelve men are selected 
(from each tribe a man) each one of whom shall bear on his shoulder from 
the midst of Jordan a stone, and the twelve stones are erected as a memorial 
on the other side of the Jordan where they lodged the first night after the 
river had been so wondrously passed over. It is expressly stated, as we 
have read, that these stones should serve the purpose of reminding the 
coming generations of the care and deliverance of God as a great memorial; 
and the entire narrative forms the interesting record of one of the first 
historic memorials to be found in the history of the world. 

At this point it will be well to observe that one of the great reasons why 
the Bible stands as the "Book of Books," unique in the history of the 
world's Hterature and sacred writings, is because the scenes recorded are 
not simply those belonging to the life of the ancient people of Israel, but 
they are ever great type scenes of human life, and fit into the Ufe conditions 
of every age, and it requires but little observation to discover that the 
same principles that pertain to the ancient memorial of the Jordan reach 
down to every true memorial and every true anniversary; so that we find 
the connection very close at this time between this ancient record and our 
present Anniversary and the memorial stones which are already in place 
in commemoration of the heroic and noble founders of this Town of Lan- 
caster. 

[18] 




L'jiitarian Church 
Methodist Church 
St. Paul's Church 
All Saints' Church 



N N I V E R 



THE PLACE OF MEMORIALS 



After these introductory words I wish to direct your thought first of all 
to the just and necessary place of aU memorials and memorial observances. 

At the time the stones were placed in commemoration at the Jordan 
the period was not an age of books and possessed very little of the written 
record common to the people. The method of Cairn building and oral tra- 
dition took the place of Ubraries. But all of this has changed as far as 
recorded and printed histories are concerned. We have our Ubraries and 
our printed records which all may read, both of the nation and of almost 
all of our local communities. It might seem under these conditions that 
the custom of erecting memorials might well be considered as obsolete. 
The facts in the case, however, show that whUe this is an age of books it 
is also a wonderful age for memorials. How many books have been written 
concerning the Civil War, yet well nigh every town has erected some mon- 
ument in honor of the heroes of that great struggle. During the last few 
years, owing to the labors of the Daughters of the American Revolution, 
a multitude of memorials of the Revolutionary War have also been erected. 
The lesson of all these facts surely is that books and the written record 
have their limitations and can never take the place of visible memorials. 
The difference and necessity is psychological, and must be recognized. 

We will also do well to notice the just and necessary place of all forms 
of historic observances and all the work of honoring or emphasizing the 
past, and realize that the principles which are involved are real and vital. 
Let us consider this for a moment. Man is closely related to the past, 
the present and the future — all three. He lives happily and well only as 
he is in proper relation with all of these. Over emphasis of any one of these 
periods is detrimental. If he emphasizes the past unduly he loses his hold 
upon the stirring needs of Ufe; if he emphasizes, falsely, the present he 
becomes either the materiahst or the prodigal; if he emphasizes too much 
the future he becomes the dreamer without practical force. It is when he 
relates his life properly to past, present and future, all three divisions, that 
he acts wisely. With this in mind we aU understand the tendency is always 
to neglect the past, as compared to the pressing demands of the present or 
the anxiety of the future, and therefore there is especial need of doing 
definite things to keep the past from being neglected with its necessary 
elements of instruction, inspiration and admonition. This is recognized 
by the Church, the nation and all moral teaching. Few things are more 
noticeable in Old Testament history than the great attention which is given 
in the development of Hebrew life, both in the religious and national sense, 
to the work of keeping the past sacred in faithful remembrance. The 
great feast of the Passover and other great observances of God's people 
were all designed to achieve this result, and this training caused the song 

[19] 



LANCASTER 

of exile to break forth in the words of faithful remembrance, "If I forget 
thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not 
remember thee let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth." 

From this review we see what great principles are involved in this Anni- 
versary recognition for us and for our children. 

Following this study of the value and necessity of memorials and great 
anniversaries commemorating the past, we may very appropriately now 
consider the application to us and the significance of the question concern- 
ing which the people of Israel were, according to the text, to give answer, 
"What mean j^e by these stones? " It is of the highest value that we should 
have the reasons definitely in mind, for all that we are about to do or have 
done for this anniversary time, that the true significance of it all may have 
fuU place in the minds of all of our people, and first we will consider those 
reasons which most naturally and easily occur to the mind as prompting 
this anniversary observance. 

THE REASONS FOR THE ANNIVERSARY 

Foremost among these more readily recognized reasons for this Com- 
memoration is the realization that we possess really a notable Anniversary 
from even a general historical viewpoint. It is true that the period of one 
hundred and fifty years is not great in measuring the centuries of human 
history, only perhaps as a fragment broken from the temple of the ages, 
but we must remember that while this is the case, as to the time factor 
alone, it is also true that the last one hundred and fifty years have witnessed 
more great changes than the centuries unnumbered before them. The 
world has been transformed. Almost every one of the great modern won- 
ders has been inaugurated; our nation itself has been born and has come 
into the full measure of its great strength during this time, and the great 
world movements among all peoples have taken place, so that this period 
must always rank as one of the greatest if not the greatest period of history. 

We also feel at this time that we have a good reason for our observance 
in the pride we justly feel in the beauty of our town, "Lancaster, the Gem 
of the Mountains." Surely if the heart of the stranger is thrilled by this 
wonderful beauty of river, mountain and fertile fields which God has 
given in such generous measure, the hearts of our citizens should recognize 
its just place in honoring the beginning of our community life. We also 
have pride in our honored name of "Lancaster," and it may well have a 
place in our thought at this time. There is something in a name. Per- 
sonally it is a great satisfaction to me to live in a towTi that has a name of 
great historic association — Lancaster, the ancient name of English his- 
tory, great in the struggle of the War of the Roses five hundred years ago, 
when the houses of York and Lancaster contended for the royal power of 
the Kingdom, York taking as its emblem the white rose, while Lancaster 

[20] 



ANNIVERSARY 

chose the red rose and honored it with the outpouring of the tide of crimson 

blood. 

"When the red rose was redder than itself, 

And York's white rose as red as Lancaster's 

With wounded peace which each had pricked to death." 

All of the historic associations of the ancient name touch us in this 
Lancaster across the sea. and the emblem of the red rose may well become 
ours from this day forward, bringing us into touch with the historic past. 
Personally I should hke to see during the coming week in the decorations 
of the floats or otherwise some special place for the ancient emblem of the 
red rose. 

Other reasons which may be given truly for our observance readily 
coming to mind are found in the remembrance of the noble history of 
this Town in not only its development from the days of the wilderness 
but in bearing its honored share in the struggles for the nation and the 
Commonwealth, and our desire to honor the memory of the brave men 
and women who laid the foundations of the Ufe of our community. 

THE WEIGHTIER REASONS 

Excellent and worthy as these foregoing reasons are for our observ- 
ance of this anniversary period, there are others far more weighty which 
should have om- definite attention, and among these we may name, first 
of all, the recognition of the real greatness of the men and women of the 
pioneer days. Man is ever unique in his essential greatness. The Psalm- 
ist three thousand years ago cried out to God, as he meditated upon the 
wonders of God's universe, "What is man that Thou art mindful of him, 
and the son of man that Thou visitest him? For Thou hast made him a 
little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor." 
Long before even these words were written man gave witness to his great- 
ness. One writer has weU expressed it in the thought that while Abraham 
did not have a Ubrary, or Job a daily paper, they were intellectual giants. 
We ever find that advanced conditions do not explain the greatness of 
man, but oftentimes we find that this greatness shines forth with peculiar 
power in primal conditions of hfe. This is true in the pioneer days, and it 
is seldom that we find more of real dignity coming to man than when we 
see him standing well-nigh alone before the wilderness and with faith 
saying, "I will conquer thee," and proceeds to "make the wilderness 
blossom as the rose." This was the greatness of the early pioneers of 
Lancaster, whom neither the wilderness nor the presence of its perils 
could dishearten or discourage. Consider for a moment how it would 
be in our thought to place side by side with the men of the early settlement 
here the successful business men of to-day, either in city or town; to place 

[21] 



LANCASTER 

beside Ruth Page, that noble woman of the pioneer days, some woman of 
the present period busied with the various social functions of our complex 
modem life; would there be a moment of hesitation in understanding that 
there is a strength, dignity and real greatness of the past which is lost in 
most of present-day life? 

Again a great and weighty reason for our Anniversary observance 
is found in the just recognition of our large indebtedness to the pioneer 
days and the achievements that they hold. Nothing is farther from the 
truth than to imagine that we are in any sense independent of. the sacri- 
fices and toil of the early days. On the other hand the legacy of our fertile 
fields and the excellence of ovu- beautiful place of habitation and the 
record of honor of the town which we love are very closely related to the 
Uves of the men and the women of the early period. You may look with 
wonder and admiration upon the beautiful unfolding of the flower in its 
marvelous florescence, but you must remember that the beauty of the 
blossom is related vitaUy to all of the plant structure which supports its 
life and that otherwise this beauty never could appear or exist. You may 
also look upon the noble elms, which line our streets and give to our Town 
so much of the distinctive beauty, which characterizes the towns of New 
England, and as you view the noble symmetry of the topmost branches 
which catch the glory of the early sun, you need also to remember here 
that this splendid development is dependent upon the mighty network 
of roots, which reach down beneath the soil, invisible, but the real sources 
of sustenance, strength and beauty. These examples are only inter- 
pretations of that close relationship which we sustain to the past, and 
illustrate the indebtedness we should justly recognize to those who labored 
so faithfully and heroically in their day and generation. 

Another reason of great significance and importance, deserving faithful 
and zealous attention, why we do well to set apart these days for joyful 
and yet thoughtful observance, is found in the fact that we should earnestly 
desire to conserve the great Hfe elements and principles which gave dignity 
and greatness and achievement to the men and women of the pioneer days. 
We are hving in an age of wonderful change and transformation of past 
conditions. We find the magic touch of modern invention and discovery 
on every hand, beyond all the dreams of men in their wildest fancy, revolu- 
tionizing so many conditions of human hfe; but in the midst of aU of this 
transformation we do well to understand that great life principles are 
not subject to change but go on from generation to generation, scarcely 
touched by the changing wonders of modern days. Consider for instance 
how Httle difference it would make in paj-ing our bills of indebtedness, 
whether they arrive by the fast mail as they do to-day, or if they were to 
arrive by the old-fashioned post; or as we look forward a httle, will it be 
any easier to pay oiu: biUs when they arrive by airship and we read the 

[22] 



ANNIVERSARY 

request "Please remit by next Airship"? Another illustration, as we read 
of the ancient courtship of John Alden and the Puritan maiden Priscilla, 
down at old Plymouth, in the early days of the Pilgrim settlement or 
think of the early love that blossomed here in this wilderness with the 
coming of the early settlers, will we consider that there has been any great 
change in the life forces and elements involved between these ancient 
lovers and those of yesterday, who truly gave their vows touched with 
the same mystic power and beauty? To carry the illustration of the truth 
still farther in a more serious way, touching the darker side of Ufe's experi- 
ences, ask yourself the question, will it make it any easier for that sorrowing 
mother across the sea to-day, in the midst of this condition of war in 
Europe, who may receive word of the death of her soldier son, to know that 
he was killed by a bomb from an aeroplane instead of the more primitive 
weapons of warfare; or as we think with deepest sympathy of our honored 
President, who waits to-day with the black shadow of his sorrow resting 
upon the Executive mansion of the nation, in the loss of his noble wife, do 
we consider for a moment that the wealth and beauty of the Capital City 
and the glory and greatness of the nation make this sorrow less than it 
would be in more humble surroundings or more primitive conditions of 
hfe? These examples clearly set forth the truth that we are altogether 
too prone to forget — that the great principles of hfe are not subject to 
changing conditions. Any element of life which made life strong and 
splendid one hundred and fifty years ago, or a thousand years ago, is 
needed to-day, and ought to be carefully conserved and emphasized, for 
I think that we all must recognize the fact, as we think carefully, that 
there is a tendency in the conditions of modern hfe to lose sight of some of 
the great hfe elements of other days, which made the men and women of 
the past to possess strength, dignity and power. I have only time very 
briefly to caU your attention to the following elements which it seems to 
me were especially prominent in the hves of the pioneers, which need to 
be conserved by us for successful and worthy hving to-day. I must content 
myself with simply enimierating the elements of integrity, coiu-age, perse- 
verance before aU difficulties, simplicity and wholesomeness of daily living, 
independence of luxuries, fidehty to duty and a splendid patience in slowly 
but surely bringing things to pass, together with the element of neighborly 
helpfulness. 

It is siirely unnecessary for me to dwell upon the necessity of aU of these 
great principles in and for present-day Ufe, and how earnestly we should 
seek to conserve them that we in our day may not fail in true and noble 
living. However important and great these elements are we must not 
forget in this Christian Church to-day that the greatest of all elements in 
the pioneer days which needs to be conserved, without which we may, 
indeed, not expect that the other principles shall be maintained, is the 
rehgious element. 

[23] 



LANCASTER 

The wilderness with all other conditions of great trial bring men near to 
God. Providence and prayer are then no idle words and the claims of 
righteousness and the Church and Christian service are readily recognized. 
This was true in the early days of Lancaster. If you will study the records 
of our history you will find that when the Town was yet far from being 
strong in either resources or population, action was taken in the Town 
meeting (according to the custom of the times) to provide for the erection 
of a Church building and the settlement of a minister, whose salarj^ was 
paid, not by individuals especially interested in religion, but by all the 
property owners, in the taxes of the town; and of course such action could 
only take place with the firm conviction that religion was of paramount 
importance to the entire community, and thus we find that this Congre- 
gational Church of ours (as the pioneer Church of the Settlement) was 
organized July 7th, 1794, with twenty-four members, under the leadership 
of "Parson" Willard, who for twenty-eight years faithfully ministered to 
the people. One of the most striking and solemn scenes of the history of 
Israel is found in the record of the wonderful assembling of all Isarel on 
Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim, for the reading of the sacred law of God. The 
location was a remarkable one, the valley which the mountains enclosed 
being 200 or 300 paces wide by about three miles in length, and the moun- 
tains rising about 800 feet. Mt. Ebal was on the right hand and Mt. Geri- 
zim on the left. Half of the tribes were assembled on Ebal and half on 
Gerizim and as the law was read the tribes on Mt. Gerizim responded with 
the simultaneous "Am ens" to the blessings of the law, to those who should 
be obedient while the tribes on Mt. Ebal responded with the "Amens" to 
the cursings of the law for those who were disobedient. Well has this been 
pronounced perhaps the grandest scene of nations, in this mighty assem- 
bling of a nation and the great antiphonal regarding the law of God: and 
as our people shall be assembled during the days of this week for the anni- 
versary exercises in which we commemorate the faith and labors of the past, 
shall we not feel that in these observances we are brought to the Ebal and 
Gerizim of the law of God and religious obligation, and allow the ancient 
and ever Uving claim of rehgion and our duty to God and the Church to have 
a new place in the thought and purpose of all of our Uves. 

Once again we direct our thought to the honor of the Fathers and the 
Mothers who toiled and redeemed this town from the wilderness. Their 
noblest eulogy is not in the words of any orator or the song of any bard or 
minstrel or in any record we may place in bronze or granite. It is rather 
found written on these fields and scenes of our habitation, and the writing 
is read with each new sunrise and reflected in every sunset glow. The 
record of their toils and conquests and virile strength of life are also guarded 
by the mighty sentinels of the mountains which they loved, while their 
influence continues to go out to the nation and the ends of the earth, with 

[24] 




Bank Building 

High School 

Union Grammar School 



ANNIVERSARY 

the going of the sons and daughters of Lancaster, even as the mighty river, 
whose current touched their early habitations, continues to go on to the 
sea and through the sea to the farthest lands. The night with its calm and 
silent witness of majestic beauty proclaims with its gleaming altar fires 
their high and holy covenant for honor and Godly living, as they, in the 
early days before they possessed even the Church or service of worship, 
gathered the lessons of the same unchanging God, who ever watches His 
own, in love and mercy, even the Shepherd of Israel; and, moreover, the 
darkness of the tempest and the strength of our long winter days bear 
witness to their faith and courage with the mighty voice of wind and storm. 
Finally, as we come to the close of this memorable service to-day we may 
well feel like crying out, "All honor to the men and women whose toil and 
faithfulness redeemed not only the wilderness but the days and years of 
their generation in honor for the real dignity and power of human life"; 
and let us, moreover, realize, as we think of their part so nobly performed, 
that all of this is not to be looked upon as simply a broken or isolated frag- 
ment of human experience and struggle, finally passing from the scenes of 
earth, but rather as part of the great and eternal purpose of the 
Creator and Father of the Universe, which binds the toil of the pioneers of 
the wilderness to the infinite plans of the Almighty, and this not only for 
the present in its fruition but also for the still larger futiu-e, that infinite 
purpose which joins our lives also to the working out of that great plan, 
which turns the faces of expectant hope toward the world's new mornings, 
and causes us, as we come more and more to understand it, to learn the 
truth of the lines of Tennyson, — 

"One God, one law, one element. 

And one far-off divine event. 

To which the whole creation moves." 



[25 



N C A S T E R 



Methodist Episcopal Church 

Rev. George N. Dorr, Preacher 

(Synopsis) 
"We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what 
work Thou didst in their days, in the times of old." Psa. 44 : 1. 

The words describe a most natural act. The Israelites had a marvelous 
history which the father readily rehearsed to the son, from generation to 
generation. We of the present do the same thing. Thus one of our 
hymns to be sung on National occasions is a paraphrase of my text — 
"O Lord, our fathers oft have told 

In our attentive ears 
Thy wonders in their days performed 
And in more ancient years." 

Hence as a town we have oiu* anniversaries, the Centennial, fifty years 
ago, and our One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary which we observe 
this week. Most proper is it for us to recall the past with its sacrifices and 
useful lessons. WTiittier's lines are particularly suggestive, — 

"With smoking axle hot with speed 

With steeds of fire and steam. 
Wide-waked To-day leaves Yesterday 

Behind him like a dream. 

"StiU from the hiurying train of Life 

Fly backward far and fast 
The milestones of the fathers, the landmarks 

Of the past. 

"But human hearts remain unchanged: 

The sorrow and the sin, 
The loves and hopes and fears of old 

Are to our own akin." 

The poet, you see, suggests a reason for recalling the lessons of the past, 
— "Human hearts remain unchanged: the sorrow and the sin. The loves 
and hopes and fears of old, are to our own akin." 

Therefore it wiU do us good to recall the sweet story of Ruth Page and 
Emmons Stockwell, their associates and successors. Thus shall we become 
a little stronger to meet life's struggles and hardships. 

[26] 



ANNIVERSARY 

The text however gives an additional reason, — the commemoration of 
God's former glorious doings, — "What work Thou didst in their days." 
We ought to remember that God directed the footsteps of our fathers to 
this land, guided and sustained them as the years went by. The dangers 
were many and much endvu^ance was required. Permit me to mention 
three events which must have been most trying experiences. Major Jonas 
Wilder began to build his house (the first in town to have a second story) 
on May 19, 1780. This was the famous "Dark Daj^" which history 
described as "a most unaccountable darkening of the whole visible heavens 
and atmosphere in New England." Workmen were digging the cellar 
for Mr. Wilder's house but soon ceased to work on account of the darkness. 
Think of the terror which must have come upon all. Recovering from 
their fright they went on with their work and the record shows that the 
frame of the house was raised July 26, 1780. 

In 1816 came the "cold season" by which name that year was long 
remembered. The soil that season produced but little for the husband- 
man. On June S, snow fell all day till at evening it reached a depth of 
six inches. Of course there was much suffering. 

The season of 1819 was long known as the "Dark Year" because of the 
large number of its dismal, dark days. We are told that "on Nov. 9th, 
the stars shone brightly by day through rifts in the clouds. " These must 
have been times to try men's souls. It is no wonder that some of the 
settlers were ready to give up, leave the country and seek a more favorable 
cUmate. But nobler counsels prevailed, courage was renewed and new 
hopes implanted and the little colony lived on. 

Now it may be very properly expected that on an occasion Uke this 
some mention should be made of our history as a Church, so I have decided 
to give a brief 

SKETCH OF METHODISM IN LANCASTER 

Methodism first came to Lancaster in 1799 in the preaching of John 
Langdon and Labam Clark. In 1800 Elijah R. Sabin visited Lancaster 
and preached many times, several conversions resulting. No doubt these 
preachers were followed by other pioneers of Methodism, such as John 
Broadhead, Martin Ruter, Elijah Hedding and others, though the record 
of their work is very brief. 

In the winter of 1816-17 much religious interest was aroused. In re- 
sponse to a request from Lancaster people the Annual Conference sent a 
Methodist pastor, Rev. H. Davis, and the first Quarterly Conference was 
held in 1817. Varying success accompanied the work tiU 1831. On July 
22 of that year a meeting was held for the pm-pose of organizing a religious 
association under the name of "The First Methodist Episcopal Society in 
Lancaster." The organization was completed, a Constitution drawn up 

[27] 



LANCASTER 

and signed by twenty-nine men. In the fall or winter of the same year a 
parsonage was built upon land donated by Harvey Adams. 

On Feb. 4, 1834, Harvey Adams, Joseph Howe and Allen Smith were 
chosen a committee to "ascertain the practicability of building a Metho- 
dist Chapel in this village. " Subsequently these three men were appointed 
a building committee and a chapel 40 x 60 feet with 16 foot posts was 
erected at a cost of upwards of $1000. Success seemed to attend the cause 
and Methodist preachers came and went according to the custom of the 
times. 

The chapel was remodeled and repaired in 1858 at an expense of $1500. 
This building did service till 1888 when it was removed and the present 
edifice was erected in its place and dedicated Wednesday, March 20, 1889. 

Three times has the New Hampshire Annual Conference met in Lan- 
caster — May 9, 1849, with Bishop Hamline as president; April 10, 1878, 
with Bishop Merrill in the chair; April 12, 1899, with Dr. J. H. Vincent as 
presiding Bishop. 

As pastors, thirty-two different persons have served. Of these D. J. 
Smith served two terms, first in 1866-'67-'68 and second in 1879-'80-'81. 
Seven of these thirty-two men are now living — Revs. Otis Cole of Haver- 
hill, Mass.; Daniel C. Babcock of Claremont, N. H.; R. T. Wolcott of 
Manchester, N. H.; Thomas Whiteside now of the Maine Conference; 
A. L. Smith of Plymouth, N. H.; and the present pastor. 

In 1893 at Grange, a distinct branch of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
was organized. A Sunday School and an afternoon preaching service have 
always been well sustained. In the summer of 1895 a neat and commodious 
chapel was built. Under an amicable arrangement made at the start the 
two churches have been served by the same pastor. 

Such is a brief review of Methodism in our town. Men and women 
have toiled, all of them hard, some of them grandly. "Other men labored, 
ye are entered into their labors." What this Church shall be in the future 
depends not so much on what the fathers have done as what we of the 
present are doing. Let us make our work the grandest possible and pass 
on a noble legacy to coming generations. 



[28 



N N I V E R 



St. Paul's Episcopal Church 

Rev. Henry deWolf deMaueiac, Preacher 

Text: "He looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder 
and maker is God." — Hebrews 11:10. 

After explaining the Scripture lesson and giving a brief history of the 
three periods in the hfe of Abraham, the speaker continued in part as 
follows : 

The transition which took place in the life of Abraham was from vague- 
ness of polytheism to the definiteness of the worship of the one true God ; 
and from the position of mere man doing his duty to that of a man of 
power and wealth and thence onward to the position of a Friend of God. 
An enemy is a type of destruction. A friend is a type or symbol of progress 
and strength and hope. Abraham tried to build up God's work and he 
learned to trust God in everything so that his hfe was one of constant 
and hopeful progress. Basing each move that he made on this faith in 
God he went forth on his mission in the world and by that faith he was 
able to do the great things he did. It was all because he looked for the 
enduring city of God. 

Something of this same attitude actuated the founders of our nation. 
They sought both political and religious freedom and came to America 
where there was room. They did not obtain their desire for many years. 
Like all the gifts of God this gift must come through faith and the faith of 
the pioneers must be tested. They had to be taught to look for the city 
which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Thus by faith 
they obtained their freedom and their land of promise. And, "without 
faith was not any good thing done that was done." 

The same thing is true of those who settled in the parts of the whole 
nation. One hundred and fifty years is a precious segment out of the Ufe 
of the nation if it has been dedicated to God. The two lone men who 
reached Lancaster in that far-off day and stayed in spite of their lonehness 
have grown to many thousands. The primeval forest with its hardships 
has become a dehghtsome wood in which a nation plays. The uncertain 
settlement in the wilderness has become a town of comfortable homes 
with a history of no small dignity. The earlier hardships have become 
inspiration to future effort. If the faith of 1764 overcame difficulties and 
obtained such a good result, who shall prophesy what the faith of 1914 
will do? 

[29] 



LANCASTER 

Very many things have been done, fine things, too. The need of the 
future is faith. Fifty years ago the people celebrated the one hundred 
years then gone, and then had a mind to work and started out to make 
another fifty years of Ufe. We need not deny that mistakes have been 
made in the past and will be made in the future. Our confident assertion 
is that what has been done was done by faith and that the good to come 
must be brought about by faith. Without faith we cannot overcome the 
evil in our streets and we cannot conquer the evil in our hearts. We have 
much to be thankful for, and better still we have much to hope for. Let 
us be contented to take what we have and to go forward; to sojourn by 
faith in a land of promise with the other heirs of the same promise; and 
ever seek for the city which hath foundations and whose builder and 
maker is God. 



[30] 




Hose Company 

Veteran, Firemen 

Hook and Ladder Company 



N N I V E R 



Other Services 

At the conclusion of the services in the Congregational 
Church many present accompanied the Pastor to the Old 
Cemetery where they gathered for brief memorial services at 
the grave of "Parson" Joseph Willard, the first pastor of the 
Congregational Church and under whose leadership was 
built, in 1794, the first meetinghouse. Mr. Wilson first read 
the inscription upon the stone: 

"Rev. Joseph Willard, 

Died July 22, 1827, Aged 66 years. 

For 28 years pastor of the Congregational Church of this 

town." 

After which the audience sang, "Nearer my God to Thee," 
a quintet leading. Prayer was offered by Mr. Wilson, and 
Mrs. James L. Dow placed a floral tribute upon the grave of 
the man whose example and teachings did so much to encour- 
age the first settlers during their years of building the material 
and character foundation of Lancaster. 

In the evening the congregations of the Methodist and Con- 
gregational Churches united in an "old-fashioned sing" in the 
auditorium of the former society. The service was largely 
attended and as everybody entered into the spirit of the occa- 
sion the songs were sung as they have not been sung in Lan- 
caster before for years. Apart from devotional services and 
brief explanations of some of the songs the whole service was 
devoted to the singing. Not only were the hymns dear to our 
ancestors on the program, but also such songs as "Auld Lang 
Syne," "Home Sweet Home" and "The Old Oaken Bucket." 
It was a grand service and a fitting conclusion to the religious 
observances of the day. 

[31] 



N C A S T E R 



At several of the churches the following Prayer of Thanks- 
giving, written by David Eugene Rowell, was offered: — 



MNIWIWIMIWml^ 



''OA, Almighty Father of the Universe, on this day of 
rejoicing and happiness, we do with bowed head and 
bended knee, return to You our humble and hearty 
thanks, for during all the long years, in the dark 
nights of trouble, in the bright days of gladness, in the 
times of our adversity and in the times of our pros- 
perity, Thy hand hast led and guided us and our for- 
bears, so that by Thy Divine goodness we have been 
brought to this happy day, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord, Amen." 



32] 



Music and Mirth 



T 



"TUESDAY evening marked the opening of the festivi- 
ties of Anniversary Week, and the program had been 
arranged to encourage the spirit of sociability upon 
which to such a degree hung the success of the entire week. 
It was, therefore, eminently fitting that the informal meeting 
of old friends and the gathering of townspeople should in- 
augurate the celebration. 

Man is by nature sociable and hence he was in a happy mood 
when he and his family wended their way to Centennial Park 
on this summer evening to chat with neighbors, to listen to the 
music and to start the celebration on its way. Even an over- 
cast sky held in its downpour of rain, apparently loath to 
dampen the ardor of the merry company on the Park below. 
The social instinct is a dominating trait among men, women 
and children, normally constituted. It was this instinct 
that was in the supremacy at this "get-together" gathering 
and sent the hundreds home at a late hour delighted at the 
first offering of the week. 

The scene at the Park was inspiring in itself. Hundreds of 
electric lights illuminated the grounds, making a brilliant 
background for the assembly. Over the stage was a huge 
electric standard, "1764-1914," with a border of red lights. 
Little groups chatted under the elms while automobiles lined 
either side of Main Street, two deep, crowded with those that 
had come from a distance to enjoy the fine music. And the 
music was fine. It proved a very important factor in the 
program and encouraged the spirit of the hour. The concert 
was given by Nevers' Second Regiment Band of Concord, 

[331 



LANCASTER 

N. H., Arthur F. Nevers, director, supposed to be the best 
band in the State, and it did nothing during its engagement in 
Lancaster to detract from that reputation. Although the 
concert program and the other features prolonged the session 
until nearly midnight, few left the Park until the last number 
had been played, although the morrow had in store a continu- 
ous feast of good things. 

This gathering belonged distinctly to the "people." It was 
Lancaster's personal welcome and greeting to her old residents 
and to the visitors. It was appropriate that such an occasion 
should open with the singing in concert of " Auld Lang Syne" 
and as the company were to leave for their homes all joined 
in singing "The Old Oaken Bucket." 

Music was not the only offering of the evening. A little 
company of boys and girls, talented children, costumed for 
their parts, took old and young into fairyland, there to dwell 
for a period in perfect relaxation from care and worry, while 
they were escorted through several scenes of "Cinderella," 
as portrayed in pantomine by the youthful actors. Thus, 
early in the week, the boys and girls of Lancaster were brought 
into close touch with an event that would leave with them 
lessons of great value. It was proof that the Anniversary was 
to be an inclusive event, for old and young, for everybody in 
Lancaster. When the good Prince had been made content 
the curtain fell upon fairyland and in its place appeared the 
camp fires of the Indians and another generation of girls, 
members of the Camp Fire, appeared upon the stage and 
rendered an Indian dance to the delight of the company. 
Then there was more music, popular airs of the day and the 
classics of Rossini and Verdi, almost until the close of the day 
and the dawn of a new, completing a program that sent the 
company home in joyous anticipation of the coming events. 

The detailed program rendered by Mr. Nevers and his 
musicians was as follows: — 

[34] 




Canton Cooh, I. 0. O. F. 
Knights of Columbus 
Uniform Rank, K. of P. 
Knights Templars 



ANNIVERSARY 



March — Columbia, Burton 

Overture — William Tell, Rossini 

(a) Idyl — Venetian Love Song, Nevin 

(b) Famous Sextette — "Lucia," Donizetti 
Cornet Solo — Cliftonian Polka, Arthur F. Nevers, Casey 
Concert Waltz — The Flower of Italy, De Stefano 
Grand Operatic Selection — "Traviata," Verdi 



II. 

March — Victorious Eagle, 
Grand International Fantasia — 
"Patriotic Airs of All Nations," 

(a) Morceau — "Humoresque," 

(b) Serenade— "The Warblers," 
("Solo" for Piccolo and Clarinets) 

Ballet — "Dance of the Hours," 
Medley — Latest Popular Songs, 
Finale — Post Band, 

("Auld Lang Syne") 



Rosey 

Godfrey 

Dvorak 

Hutchinson 

PonchielU 

Lampe 

Moquin 



[35] 



LANCASTE 



** Cinderella in Flowerland" 

One of the truly charming offerings of Anniversary Week was 
the operetta, "Cinderella in Flowerland," in which the dances 
and songs were given but the dialogue omitted. In this little 
story of Fairyland, Lancaster brought forward her very 
youngest entertainers and from the moment the dainty 
Fairy (Dorothy Cleaveland) in sweet song and graceful dance 
took the party into Fairyland until the special dance of fare- 
well by Miss Clarice McCarten brought the operetta to a 
close, all were charmed and delighted. Although only scenes 
were given from the play one saw the graceful Fairy and the 
gallant Prince, the disconsolate Cinderella in the simple garb 
of the Daisy transformed by the fairy-godmother into the 
fairest of them all, the Busy Bee and the faithful Robin Red, 
the jealous sisters with their scowls and their frowns, the 
little Blossoms in green gowns raving over their gorgeous 
bonnets, the fluttering butterflies gay in gold and silver and 
brilliant color, the dignified dancers of the minuet, the merry 
little Sunbeams with their frolics and songs, and the naughty 
little Raindrops in their long gray dominoes and large watering 
pots. It was a dainty little company in the woodland setting, 
dancing gracefully and singing sweetly the delightful story 
of Cinderella. 

The operetta was well staged and perfectly costumed and 
was given under the direction of Miss Carrie A. Curtis. 

The numbers included the welcome song by the Fairy with 
dance to special music arranged by Mrs. Fred C. Cleaveland; 
Song by Robin and the Blossoms; "Just Think of the Bon- 
nets," Blossoms; "I am Just a Daisy," Cinderella; Scene at 
Ball— "'Tis a Merry May Day," Blossoms; "Song of the 
Sunbeams," Little Sunbeams; Song and Dance by Prince 
Sunshine and the Blossoms; Butterfly Dance and Song; 

[36] 



A N N I 



E R S 



"Dance Song," by Blossoms, introducing the Prince and the 
Daisy (Cinderella); Solo, "Am I Dreaming?" Cinderella; 
Minuet for the amusement of Prince Sunshine and Cinderella 
by Elizabeth Gillespie, Kathleen Bernier, Alice Hening, Lila 
Johnson, Mildred Donahue, Dorothy Jacobs, Dorothy Cleave- 
land and Mary Blood; Second "Song of the Sunbeams"; 
Raindrop's Song; Grand Finale in which all sing and dance to 
Prince Sunshine and Princess Marguerite (Cinderella), in- 
troducing special butterfly dance by Miss Clarice McCarten 
and the Butterflies. 

The cast of characters was as follows: 
Prince Sunshine 
Fairy 

Daisy (Princess and Cinderella) 
Robin Red (Prince's Herald) 



Bonnie Bee (Little Page) 
Proud Sisters — 

Hollyhock 

Tiger Lily 
Little Blossoms — 

Poppy 

Pansy 

Daffodil 

Violet 

Sweet Brier 

Mignonette 

Lily Bell 

Sweet Pea 

Narcissus 

Buttercup 
Little Sunbeams — 



Raymond Simonds 
Dorothy Cleaveland 
Amalie Smith 
Merrill Shurtleff, Jr. 
Herbert Lewis 



Maragaret Keir 
Alice Hening 

Dorothy Jacobs 

Lila Johnson 

Mary Blood 

Mildred Donahue 

Kathleen Bernier 

Elizabeth Gillespie 

Ruth Kingsley 

Ida Currie 

Olive Snow 

Anna Colby 

Florinda Maloney 

Dorothy Schurman 

Roxanna O'Dowd 

Olive Simonds 

Evelyn Gillespie 

Genevieve O'Dowd 



[371 



LANCASTER 

Little Raindrops — Alice Elzada Fiske 

Kathleen McGoldrick 

Roxanna O'Dowd 

Evelyn Gillespie 

Doris Stone 

Elizabeth Ingerson 

Butterflies jMuriel Covell 

Evelyn Hill 
Special Character— " Butterfly " Miss Clarice AlcCarten 

Accompanist Mrs. William A. Lewis 



[381 




Lancaster Grange 
Mt. Prospect Farm 
P. J. Noyes Company 
Rebekahs 



N N I 



E R 



The Indian Dance 

A delegation from the Camp Fire Girls made their first 
appearance at the Anniversary in an Indian Dance given by 
the light of the camp fire that burned upon the stage. The 
dancers were in Indian costume and gracefully went through 
the steps written by Mrs. Willard Hubbard, who later entered 
with a solo dance. The graceful movements of the young 
dancers in the dim red fight was one of the pretty features of 
the joyful occasion. 

THE DANCERS. 



Accompanist, Mrs. 
Marguerite S. Armstrong 
Ruth A. Nesmith 
Eva M. Woods 
Lulu Currier 
Agnes Truland 
Lurline Gillanders 
Louise Conner 
Katherine Underwood 
Geraldine Letter 
Helen Monahan 
Violet Fraught 
Hortense Kingsley 
Lillian Faul 
Adelaide Monahan 



William A. Lewis 
Marion Wark 
Evelyn Whyte 
Vera Whyte 
Efizabeth Gillespie 
Kathleen Bernier 
Edythe Carleton 
Clarice Craigie 
Amalie Smith 
Ada Marchant 
Millie Fisher 
Helen Bailey 
Ethel Parsons 
Margaret Keir 
Esther Hartford 
Anna Smith 



[39] 



Civic and Fraternal Parade 



Part One — The Parade 

FIRST DIVISION 

Fielding Smith, Chief Marshal 
Charles A. Balch, George McCarten, Aides 

Berlin Brass Band 

North Star Commandery, Knights Templars 

(J. C. Breitling, Grand Commander) 

Float of OUve Branch Chapter, No. 1, O. E. S. 

Float of Ruth Page Chapter, No. 31, D. A .R. 

Lancaster Veteran Drum Corps 

Members Col. E. E. Cross Post, No. 16, G. A. R., in Carriages 

Float of Co. E. E. Cross Woman's ReUef Corps, No. 36 

Float of Unity Club 

SECOND DIVISION 

Fred C. Congdon, Aide 

Nevers' Second Regiment Band 

Canton Coos, Patriarchs ^liUtant (I. O. O. F.) 
(J. D. Cummings, Acting Captain) 

Coos Lodge, No. 35, I. O. O. F. 

(H. H. Sanderson, Noble Grand) 

Float of Perseverance Lodge, No. 56, D. of R. 

Starr King Co., No. 11, U. R. K. P. 
(W. A. Thompson, Captain; A. L. Moulton and Carl Bennett, Lieutenants; H. J. Bennett. 

Sergeant) 

THIRD DIVISION 

Robert J. Murphy, Aide 

Coaticook (P. Q.) Band 
[40] 



ANNIVERSARY 
Bradley Council No. 1624, K. of C. 

(William E. Finnegan, Grand Knight 
and J. E. Hoey, District Deputy) 

Float of the Bradley Council, No. 1624, K. of C. 

Float of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union 

E. R. Kent Hose Company, No. 1. 

and 

A. F. & A. M. Bullard Hook & Ladder Company, No. 1. 

(Allan Moyle in command) 

Veteran Firemen with old "Hand-tub" 

Float of Mrs. Harry B. Carpenter 

Decorated Carriage from Mt. Prospect Farm 

Float of the P. J. Noyes Company 
Float of White Mountain Temple, No. 9, P. S. 

Float of Lancaster Grange, No. 48, P. of H. 

Float of Mt. Prospect Grange, No. 242, P. of H. 

Float of Metallak Club 

Float of L. G. Bailey 

FOURTH DIVISION 

Master Thomas Lyons, Aide 

High School Band 

Camp Fire Girls in Decorated Hayrack 

Float of Grade Four of Public Schools 

Float of Grade Three of PubUc Schools 

Float of "Cinderella" Cast 

Float of "Old Homestead" Cast 

Town School Children 

The above gave to Lancaster what was without doubt the 
grandest spectacle ever witnessed upon Main Street. It was 
a moving Hne of brilUant color, representative of practically 
every local activity, and testifying in a definite way to the 
skill and ingenuity of Lancaster citizenship. It was highly 
inclusive of Lancaster's home, social and fraternal life. Vet- 
erans of the Civil War and fighters of fire, social organizations 
and fraternities, business houses and schools, each and all 
had places of equal prominence in this grand parade that 

[411 



LANCASTER 

inaugurated the program of Wednesday. There was 
superior music in abundance from four bands including the 
best in the State, and another that was undoubtedly the 
youngest, the Lancaster Boys' Band. In addition the veteran 
drum corps escorted the soldier boys as they have done many 
times before. 

The conditions were ideal for the event and the occasion. 
Aurora never beamed more brightly than upon this fair 
August morning and her rays touched a scene of exceptional 
activity, brilliant in lavish decorations. Every Lancaster 
home was an "open house" to which brother, sister, parent 
or child had returned to join in the festival. Early morning 
trains brought their quota of neighbors, and automobiles 
added hundreds of mountain tourists to the assembly that 
listened to an excellent band concert while awaiting the start 
of the parade. 

Complete preliminary arrangements by Charles W. Sleeper, 
who was in charge, and Chief Marshal Fielding Smith made it 
possible, in spite of the varied units, to start the parade 
promptly from the Town Hall at ten o'clock. The right of 
way was secured by closing all adjoining streets. As the 
column moved up the broad and shaded avenue, it formed a 
spectacle that will long linger in memory. The click of the 
camera could be heard on every hand in the effort to per- 
petuate the scene upon films. One marveled at the complete- 
ness of the whole and at the attention given to each minute 
detail. The score of floats represented skill in conception 
and labor in execution. The subjects were varied and appro- 
priate and the elaborate scheme of decorations, that stamped 
almost every float in the procession, surprised the stranger 
not familiar with the fact that Lancaster believes "a thing 
worth doing at all is worth doing well." It is worthy of men- 
tion that every organization in town in a position to enter a 
float in the parade did so and did that work conscientiously. 
It is commendable that practically every float design had been 
adopted before the announcement was made that prizes were 

[42] 



ANNIVERSARY 

to be awarded. All of which proves that the compelling power 
back of the beautiful exhibits was the desire to co-operate in 
making Anniversary Week a success. 

The character of the floats made it advisable in behalf of 
safety to confine the line of march to Main Street, a mile in 
length. As a consequence, two-thirds of the street had been 
traversed by the first of the column before the last of the 
fourth division had swung into line. This condition, however, 
but added to the attractiveness of the whole as upon reaching 
the upper end of Main Street the line countermarched and 
for about one-half the course two columns overlapped. 

North Star Commandery, Knights Templars, whose local 
history dates almost to the birth of the Town, with the Berlin 
Brass Band as escort, paraded a large company, making an 
imposing sight in their elaborate uniforms. With these 
paraders were Knights who had held high office in the Grand 
Commandery. Starr King Company, Uniform Rank of 
Knights of Pythias, in their attractive parade uniforms of 
blue and carrying swords, won favorable comment; while 
Canton Coos, Patriarchs Militant, I. O. 0. F., entered a good 
delegation which marched well and looked well in their dress 
uniforms. They were followed by a delegation from the 
companion order, Coos Lodge, I. O. O. F. Bradley Council, 
Knights of Columbus, was the youngest organization in line 
and although not a parading organization had a most com- 
mendable representation that won applause. The members 
wore purple sashes, straw hats and white gloves and had the 
Coaticook (Quebec) Band as escort. All of the fraternal 
organizations had many out of town members in line and the 
presence of the companies was a distinct adjunct to the 
parade. 

Lancaster honored her founders in this parade of men, 
women and children and it was appropriate that she should 
remember her defenders, and therefore none received more 
generous recognition than the veterans who rode in carriages, 
members of the Post named in honor of Lancaster's valiant 

[43] 



LANCASTER 

soldier, Col. Edward E. Cross, who was killed on the battle- 
field at Gettysburg. In the parade were the following veterans : 
Edwin B. Beach, Co. B, 9th Vermont Vols.; Hugh Corrigan, 
Co. H, 5th N. H. Vols. ; Don C. Clough, Co. H, 1st N. H.,Heavy 
Artillery; Alden A. Dow, Co. E, 14th N. H. Vols.; Charles H. 
Emerson, Co. D, 8th Vermont Vols.; Charles Forbes, Co. H, 
13th N. H. Vols.; John M. Farnham, Co. I, 1st N. H. Heavy 
Artillery; John H. Jordan, Co. I, 1st N. H. Heavy Artillery; 
James N. King, Chandler's Company, National Guard; 
Michael Leary, Co. F, 1st Regt. N. H. Cavalry; Levi H. 
Parker, Co. K, 8th Vermont Vols.; John W. Stevens, Co. E, 
1st Vermont Cavalry; Stephen Simmons, Co. C, 17th Vermont 
Vols.; D. T. Timberlake, Co. I, 23rd Maine Vols.; William 
H. Tripp, Co. H, 4th and 19th Maine Vols.; Austin Russell 
(Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts), 52nd Mass. Vols. 

The members of the two active fire companies that are 
ever ready to keep conflagration a stranger to Lancaster 
were important elements of the parade, while the old "hand- 
tub" with the date "1857" and the hand-reel "Lafayette," 
drawn by the surviving members of the companies of that 
date, aroused interest along the line. As contrasted with the 
more modern appliances it well illustrated the progress made 
in the methods of fighting fire. The fire laddies of the period 
of the "hand-tub" in fine were as follows: L. B. Porter, John 
Matthews, Christian Dietrich, Henry Young, Barney McGin- 
ley, Augustus Simenau, John Thomas, Anson Wesson, Edward 
Donahue, Nathan Ricker and Sylvanus Chessman. 

The public schools and the welfare of the boys and girls are 
close to the hearts of Lancaster and on this occasion while she 
was looking back to the past she was not forgetting the future. 
Accordingly almost an entire division was reserved for the 
young, while many little children rode in some of the floats. 
The concluding feature of the fourth division, which was led 
by the Boys' Band, was the marching column of school 
children from the Town District, namely. Bertha Foss, 
Marion Foss, Raymond Foss, District Six; Roy Johnson, 

[44] 




Pylhian Sisters 
Knights of Columbus 
Melallak Club 



ANNIVERSARY 

Lester Johnson, Jennie Rines, District Eight; Esther Knight, 
Mina Webster, District Nine; Frank L. Hartford, District 
Ten; Harlie Howe, George Hickey, Willard Hickey, Gray den 
Hickey, District Eleven; and Alice Mills, Olive Peavey, 
Francis Peavey, Thomas Sheridan, Raymond Mooney, 
Bertha Emerson, Martin Bishop and Archie Bishop from 
District Fifteen. 

The floats of the Eastern Star, Rebekahs, Pythian Sisters 
and Knights of Columbus were elaborate presentments of 
some distinctive features of the organizations, the idea to be 
conveyed being carried out regardless of the amount of work 
required. Louis G. Bailey and the Daughters of the Ameri- 
can Revolution were the only ones to take their themes from 
the past. The attractive float of Unity Club was a representa- 
tion of the literary activities of the organization while, on the 
other hand, the unique float of the Metallak Club was to show 
adult-Lancaster at play, the Indian setting having no refer- 
ence to the time before Lancaster's settlement but was rather 
out of respect to the fictitious chief of the organization that 
gives Lancaster so much wholesome entertainment. The 
two local Granges ably presented to view an important part 
in Lancaster's life and progress — the agricultural interests. 
"Old Homestead," in depicting scenes from a rural drama, 
illustrated yet another form of local entertainment, the 
amateur drama, in which Lancaster takes high rank. The 
decorated carriage from Mt. Prospect Farm was the evidence 
that Lancaster and her summer colony have common interests. 
While the floats of the P. J. Noyes Company and Mrs. Harry 
B. Carpenter were notable for their artistic beauty they 
might be said to have represented Life and Youth. The 
Woman's Relief Corps emphasized a lesson of patriotism and 
the white float of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union 
was to teach a similar lesson. The floats of the Camp Fires 
and of the Public Schools put stress upon a definite line of 
activity. Thus it was that back of each float was a purpose, 
something more than mere bunting and flowers in artistic 

[45] 



LANCASTER 

arrangement. In the whole one found the reproduction of 
the varied activities of a prosperous and progressive people 
that wisely proportions its thought, time and talents. The 
commercial life found its spokesman in the stores themselves 
by which the procession passed upon this memorable day. 

The column returned to its starting point without the 
slightest mishap, and later in the day, the judges, Pitt Fessend- 
ens Drew, Esquire, of Boston, Massachusetts; Ossian Ray, 
Esquire, of Boston; and Charles N. Kent of New York City, 
awarded the prizes: fifty dollars to Ruth Page Chapter; 
twenty-five dollars to Bradley Council; fifteen dollars to the 
Metallak Club, and the fourth prize to Mt. Prospect Grange 
and Olive Branch Chapter, ten dollars to each. 

Lancaster had witnessed a parade in which each unit had an 
attraction. There was no tiresome repetition of marching 
soldiers, no similarity of design in floats. Hundreds had 
labored for many days in bringing about this event that was 
history within two hours from its start; but while the parading 
companies quickly broke rank and the floats were soon dis- 
mantled there yet remains in the minds of thousands this 
vivid picture of moving columns. One listened to the strains 
of martial music and saw the venerable boys in blue smile in 
satisfaction that they had preserved intact this land for their 
co-paraders, the little boys in white. One beheld the marching 
column of men sworn to foster the "brotherhood of man" 
and admired the truths of fraternity as shown in symbols and 
written in lines of beauty. One witnessed Lancaster devoted 
to her study of the arts and again taking her moment of 
recreation. One recognized that the I^ancaster boy and girl 
were given their proper and deserved place in public mind 
and attention and then, as he wandered towards Centennial 
Park to witness the presentation of the Memorial, he recalled 
that the whole story had been told in a way to emphasize the 
originality and artistic taste of the Community. 

[46] 



N N I 



Part II — Description of the Floats 

Olive Branch Chapter, No. 1, Order of the Eastern Star. A 
large star, each point trimmed in one of the colors of the 
order, namely, blue, yellow, white, green and red, lay upon the 
body of the float. From each point of the star an arch was 
erected, the five arches meeting at the center, and supporting 
a floral star. The arches were made of white chrysanthemums 
and the floral star at the top was made of chrysanthemums of 
the five colors. Five young misses, Dorothy Jacobs, Dorothy 
Cleaveland, Virginia Bass, Mary Blood and Lucia Bass, stood 
upon respective points of the horizontal star. They were 
dressed in white, the gowns being trimmed with gilt stars and 
they also wore gilt crowns. Each miss wore a sash of the 
color of the point upon which she stood. 

To the front, upon a white throne representing the East, and 
facing the star, sat Miss Amalie Smith, with crown of gold and 
wearing a white robe trimmed with gilt stars. Four smaller 
arches of white chrysanthemums canopied the throne and the 
driver of the float, who wore a white cape and fez, trimmed 
with gold bands. The body of the float was covered with 
white. The wheels were trimmed in the five colors with large 
gilt stars over the hubs. 

The float was drawn by four bay horses and every inch of 
the harness was covered with white chrysanthemum streamers. 
The horses wore white blankets, edged with white chrysan- 
themums and gold bands, and lettered in gold, "O. E. S." 
The plumes were white. 

The float was preceded by a banner boy, Philip Crosman, 
bearing a banner in white and gold, distinctly lettered in 
gold, "Olive Branch Chapter, No. 1." Four boys acted 
as escorts, one opposite each horse. The boys held colored 
streamers, the ends of which were tied to the horses' bridles. 

[471 



LANCASTER 

The five boys were dressed as pages with white shoes, stock- 
ings, trousers and capes, and wore fezes. The capes had 
gold bands and each was Hned with one of the five distinctive 
colors, with sash to match. The escorts were Newton Whit- 
comb, Hanson Twitchell, Marston Crosman and Morris 
Adams. The banner was made by Mrs. Charles McKinnon. 
The float was designed by Worthy Matron Mrs. Walter H. 
Sargent, and was built by Herbert P. Whitcomb. It was 
trimmed by an efficient corps of officers and members. 

Ruth Page Chapter, No. 31, Daughters of the American 
Revolution. An old thorough-brace Concord coach, probably 
more than one hundred years old, with passengers and equi- 
page representing a corresponding epoch. The old coach was 
drawn by four dapple grays, over which John Stalbird held 
the reins. Archie Barnett, at his side, used the lash, or rather 
was prepared to do so. Both men wore scarlet coats and tall 
hats of a style long obsolete. Natt R. Cummings acted as out- 
rider, wearing a scarlet coat and a sole leather cap that had 
seen service in the Revolutionary War. The saddle bags were 
used by Lancaster's pioneer physician. The passengers in the 
coach dressed as did the women when travel by stagecoach 
was in vogue. Mrs. James L. Dow, Mrs. Frank Spaulding 
and Mrs. John Stalbird rode on the top, while inside the 
coach were Mrs. Burleigh Roberts (Regent of the Chapter), 
Mrs. Lyman W. Blandin, Miss Lillian E. Rosebrook, Miss 
Julia R. White, Mrs. Rollin J, Brown, Mrs. Albert Congdon, 
Mrs. William Parker (Nashua), and Mrs. Kate Lockwood 
(Chicago, Illinois). All the costumes were fifty or more 
years old and one of the bonnets worn first saw service in 
1849. The baggage was such as would be found on an old 
coach, including the old-fashioned carpet bags, baskets, band 
boxes and trunks. One trunk had the date "1683" marked on 
the top with brass nails, while the other trunks were hair, 
sole leather and bellows top. On either side of the coach, 
above the door, was a banner, "D. A. R.," in the blue and 
white of the organization. 

[48] 



ANNIVERSARY 

Col. E. E. Cross Woman's Relief Corps, No. 86. A double 
carriage drawn by a pair of horses; patriotism exemplified 
by the trimmings in red, white and blue. The banner of the 
organization was raised on a standard. In the carriage were 
Miss Sarah Carr (President), Mrs. George Congdon and Mrs. 
William H. Tripp. 

Unity Club. Represented four departments of the Club's 
work. White and green, the two colors of Unity Club, were 
used exclusively in the decorations. Below the main platform 
was a wide border of white, trimmed with green. There were 
four supported arches, two on either side, uniform in size and 
design. Between the inside supporting columns of each pair 
of arches was lattice work of green vines. The arches proper 
were also filled in with lattice work of a similar character 
while the supports were covered with white, interwoven with 
green. Under each arch a member of the club, in classic 
draperies of white, posed one of the Club's activities. Mrs. 
George R. Lane, represented Sculpture; Mrs. Benjamin Tilton, 
Music; Mrs. Roger W. Rhodes, History; and Mrs. Ralph 
Sinclair, Art. 

Calvin Blodgett, with white suit and hat, drove the four 
horses, which had full size white blankets, bordered with 
green; the letters "UNITY," and ''CLUB" appeared 
also in green on first and second blankets respectively. Poles, 
harness and reins were in white and each horse had a white 
cockade. 

Perseverance Lodge, No. 56, Daughters of Rehekah. The float 
was erected over an old-fashioned low-gear wagon. About 
the float was built a lattice work frame of pink and green with 
canopies of the same colors. At each corner was a standard 
from which banners waved, all of an appropriate design and 
pertaining to the order. 

The inside of the float was trimmed with evergreen trees in 
profusion and the scene of ''Rebekah at the Well" was de- 
picted by Miss Gladys Matson in costume. She stood beside 
the well in the centre of the float with the pitcher raised to 

[491 



LANCASTEH 

her shoulder. The float was drawn by a pair of horses with 
pink and green blankets with tassels, marked by the Three 
Links and "D of R" in silver. The whole was emblematic 
of the lodge. Charles Carr was the driver, in an old-style 
costume trimmed in pink and green. The committee of the 
organization in charge consisted of Mrs. E. R. Stuart, Mrs. 
W. H. Matson (Noble Grand), Mrs. C. E. Moses (Treasurer), 
Mrs. H. H. Sanderson (Vice Grand), Mrs. Irving Willoughby, 
Mrs. Fred Munn, William H. Matson and Herbert H. Sander- 
son, 

Bradley Council, No. 1624, Knights of Columbus. Float 
depicted the landing of Columbus and the colors used were 
purple, gold and white. The platform was ten by twenty- 
five feet and white bunting was festooned about the whole, 
nearly reaching to the ground. Both sides of the float were 
open to view, disclosing a full size row-boat from which Co- 
lumbus (Edward Hurley), in full costume, was about to step 
to plant the cross on American soil. Painted canvas gave 
the water effect for the boat and at the front were moss, sand, 
grass and small trees to represent the shore, where two Indians 
(George Truland and Ralph Bennett) awaited the landing. 
In the boat were three sailors, one at guard (Barney McDon- 
ough, Charles Vashon, and Daniel Haley). All of the 
characters were fully costumed. Four uprights supported 
a frame for a second section, and the uprights were wound 
with white bunting. The sides of the frame were festooned 
with yellow bunting and the front with purple over yellow. 
Two large American flags and two Knights of Columbus ban- 
ners were draped at the rear end of the float. Seats were 
placed at each corner of the elevated section, where ]\Iisses 
Violet Fraught, Geraldine Letter, Rena McKaig and Annie 
Robinson represented Charity, Fraternity, Unity and Patri- 
otism. The young ladies were dressed in white and wore 
white caps with gold stars. In the centre and surmounting 
the whole float was a large globe and above it a mammoth 
American eagle, from whose beak stretched streamers of red, 

[50] 




"Old Homestead" {upper two) 
W. C. T. U. 
L. G. Bailey 



ANNIVERSARY 

white and blue, the other ends of which were held by the 
young ladies. The float was drawn by eight gray horses, with 
purple and white blankets, lettered ''K. C." The pole of the 
wagon was trimmed with white. There were four out-riders 
dressed in the parade costume selected by Bradley Council for 
the day. The out-riders were: — P. J. Murphy, John O'Neil, 
Jr., Barney Travers and M. M. McNamara. 

The float was designed by Past Grand Knight Martin J. 
Duff, and was built by Patrick Praught, assisted by James 
Robinson, John Carroll, Arthur McCaffrey, Michael Laugh- 
rey, James Murphy, Patrick Murphy, Theodore Vashon, 
Albert Kenney, Joseph Kenney, Joseph McGoldrick and 
John O'Neil. 

Woman's Christian Temperance Union. The float was in 
white, symbolic of the organization. The body of the wagon 
was covered with white, with a railing, also so covered, run- 
ning on both sides. There was a standard in the centre to 
which white streamers from the four corners were festooned. 
There was also a large pompon at each corner. The wheels 
were covered with white with hub and rim bordered with 
evergreen. The letters "W. C. T. U." in evergreen stood in 
relief on both sides. The white ribbon emblem of the organ- 
ization was illustrated by the use of large white bows in the 
decorations. The float was drawn by a pair of horses covered 
with white blankets upon which were appropriate posters. 
The W. C. T. U. banner was suspended over the float which 
had Mrs. Charles A. Howe and Mrs. A. B. Crosman as guard- 
ians of the following children, who, dressed in white, filled the 
float: Kilbourn Nourse, Ethel Haley, Donald Haley, Francis 
Haley, Everett Mclntire, Elizabeth Underwood, Helen Cong- 
don, Gaywold Bennett, Elizabeth Sayward, Wallace Sayward, 
Mona Nelson, Frank Taylor, Ernest Cummings, Florinda 
Maloney, Edson Conners and Frances Donnell. 

Mrs. Harry B. Carpenter. This "Peek-a-boo" float was 
completely walled in by lattice work of red and white, trimmed 
with red chrysanthemums. There were a dozen " peek-a-boo" 

[51] 



LANCASTER 

places arranged in the frame through each of which a maiden 
smiled at the passing crowd. Although the four walls were 
entirely of lattice work the float was large and the walls several 
feet high and artistically proportioned. Streamers from the 
ends met at a standard at the center. The peek-a-boo maid- 
ens were Helen Underwood, Katherine K. Underwood, Evelyn 
Mojde, Mildred Moyle, Elizabeth Ladd, Sally Hening, Marion 
Clark, Mildred Blood, Elizabeth Carpenter, Vivian Runey, 
Isabel Marshall and Madeline Temple. The float was drawn 
by four horses. It was designed by James L. Dow, who also 
furnished the material with which it was trimmed by the 
young ladies under the direction of Mrs. Carpenter. 

Mt. Prospect Farm. A decorated runabout drawn by a 
pair of light bay roadsters driven by Miss Barbara Fernald, 
who was accompanied by Miss Rebecca Fernald. Goldenrod 
and yellow bunting were employed in the decorations. The 
dasher and other parts of the carriage were covered with 
goldenrod, while the bunting was wound about the lamps, 
spokes of wheels and pole. Yellow rosettes were attached to 
the horses' bridles and the whip was wound with yellow with a 
large bow of the same color. The young ladies were dressed 
in white, apart from yellow hat bands and streamer ties of 
the same color. 

P. J. Noyes Company. This float was designed to repre- 
sent a mammoth basket with handle. The basket was made 
to cover completely the body of the truck, and the handle was 
a large arch over the centre. The four sides had a white back- 
ground with pink basketwork effect, the pink and white 
being the two delicate colors used throughout. The top of 
the basket was bordered with pink carnations and the handle 
was decorated with similar flowers. Children filled this floral 
basket, namely, Ruth Barnett, Parker Carpenter, Ernest 
Coates, Elzada Fiske, Barbara Langworthy, Lena Monahan, 
Annie McGinley, Richard Norcott (North Adams, Mass.), 
Ramona Fraught, Linwood Prouty, Helen Starling, Esther 
Jean Smith, Herbert Whitcomb, Edward Whitcomb, Robert 

[52] 



ANNIVERSARY 

White, Francis White, Clinton L. White, Vernon Winslow, 
Arnold Wilder and Donald Willoughby, with Mrs. L. A. 
Starhng, Mrs. Frank C. Smith and Mrs. D. M. White as 
guardians. L. A. Starling was in charge, and Fred W. Emer- 
son was driver. James L. Dow designed the float, which was 
decorated by Mrs. Dow, Mrs. F. D. Carpenter, Mrs. Louis 
A. Starling and Miss Grace Jones. No advertising of any 
character appeared upon the float. 

White Mountain Temple, No. 9, Pythian Sisters. The float 
was built about a hayrack that had been first covered and then 
draped in red, white and blue. The upper rail was trimmed 
with red paper poppies. At the centre were large bunches of 
leaves in green and white. The wheels were decorated in red 
and white. "The Goddess of Liberty" in a robe of national 
colors, crowned with gold and carrying a pillar of fire, was 
impersonated by Miss Bertha Smith. From an upright in 
the middle of the float were hung nine colored streamers 
representing the nine officers of the Temple. The officers 
were impersonated by children, Helen Carr, Elizabeth Inger- 
son, Gladys Paschal, Laura Smith, Catherine Smith, Vera 
Morton, Olive Morton, Thelma Morancy, Velma Morancy; 
Dorothy Barber, alternate. The float was drawn by four 
horses with white blankets lettered in red "P. S." George A. 
Webster was driver. 

Lancaster Grange, No. 48, Patrons of Husbandrij. The 
float was built on an incline and was ten feet high at the 
back and seventeen feet long. The American flag was used 
profusely in the decorations and the national colors were 
emphasized throughout. A decorated railing was built about 
the float and the interior was filled with tiers of seats occupied 
by the following ladies dressed in white: Mrs. Nelson Merrow, 
Mrs. Patrick Fraught, Mrs. William Merrow, Mrs. A. N. 
Moulton, Mrs. Frank Forbes, Mrs. Carl Seiders, Miss Addie 
Forbes, Mrs. Owen Gainor, Mrs. John Savage, Miss Ida 
Savage, Miss Lula Page, Miss Ethel Hartford, Miss Minnie 
Marshall, Miss Lottie Keysar, Miss Carrie Keysar, Miss 

[53] 



LANCASTER 

Grace Keysar, Mrs. George Gray, Miss Gladys Gray, Mrs. 
Charles Marshall and Mrs. William Hall. 

The float was drawn by six chestnut horses with red, white 
and blue blankets. Nelson Merrow was driver. 

Mt. Prospect Grange, No. 2^2, Patrons of Husbandry. This 
float was to emphasize the object of the Grange and was 
trimmed in pink, yellow and green, the three colors of the 
organization. A large hayrack was covered with pink bunting 
and trimmed with a generous display of goldenrod and ferns. 
At the centre of the float was a raised platform and above it an 
arch made of evergreen and grain. Under the arch and upon 
the platform were the three Graces, posing their special 
functions: Ceres (Miss Olive J. Nourse) as Goddess of Cereals, 
Pomona (Mrs. Harry Merrow) as Goddess of Fruits, and 
Flora (Miss Jessie Osgood) as Goddess of Flowers. Each 
character was fully represented by costume and posing. The 
interior of the float was trimmed with cornstalks and flowers 
and filled with children. "P. of H." was on each side of the 
float in letters of green. The float was drawn by four black 
horses, with Bert J. Howe, Master of the Grange, as driver. 
Ralph J. Thompson was his assistant. The children of 
Grangers in the float M'ere dressed in white and included the 
following boys and girls: Mary Brown, Mary Clough, Blanche 
Carter, Lyle Carter, Mildred Howe, Helen Howe, Marion 
Howe, Pauline Howe, Hattie Ingalls, Ellen Ingalls, Mona 
Palmer, Earl Palmer, Mabel Sheltry, Evelyn Sheltry, Olive 
Snow, Howard Snow, Bernard Savage, George Savage and 
Ruth Sanderson. 

Metallak Club. This exhibit was in three sections and rep- 
resented an Indian Village. To the front, mounted upon her 
Indian pony and dressed as a squaw, rode Miss Bertha McCar- 
ten. She was followed by the float proper with tepee and 
camp fire accurately represented. Many blankets and bufl"alo 
skins were spread over the floor of the float. Eri C. Oakes, 
Esquire, impersonated Chief Metallak and about him were 
gathered the warriors, squaws and children of the Indian 

[54] 



N N I V E R 



Village, represented by Frank Chester Smith, Harold A. 
Bullard, William Porter Shurtleff, Fred C. Cleaveland, Esquire, 
Eaton Leith, Mrs. George F. Morris, Mrs. William W. Bass, 
Miss Ida May Page, Master Robert Hall Morris, James Black 
and Walter Reed, the two latter being the drivers. To the 
rear of the float were two Indians astride their ponies and 
dragging travois. Roger W. Rhodes and Harold W. Lane 
impersonated the Indians. 

Four bay horses pulled the float and the horses wore blankets 
upon two of which was the inscription, "chief metallak, 
1764," and upon the other two, "metallak club, 1914." 
All the characters in the representation were in complete 
Indian costume. Mr. Oakes, Fielding Smith, Abner Bailey, 
Roger W. Rhodes and William H. McCarten constituted the 
committee in charge. 

L. G. Baileij. Float represented an old-fashioned tea room, 
with the women at tea. The float was trimmed with white 
and yellow bunting with a profusion of handmade garlands 
festooned about it. Upon the float was a complete reproduc- 
tion of the old-fashioned room with fireplace, flax wheel and 
antique rugs. Miss Helen Bailey, Miss Lillian Paul and Miss 
Bessie Johnson, in Colonial costume, were chatting over their 
tea. The bunting, festooned with garlands, was draped below 
the main platform, partially concealing the wheels. The space 
on either side above the platform Avas open, apart from the 
festoons of garlands, leaving an unobstructed view of the tea 
room, with the fireplace in the foreground. The float was 
drawn by six white horses, and the harness was trimmed with 
yellow. 

Camp Fire Girls. The base of evergreen boughs, which also 
hung over the sides and nearly concealed the wheels, together 
with a fir tree at each of the rear corners and another centred 
at the front end, gave a woodland setting. Brilliant colored In- 
dian blankets were spread here and there over the boughs on 
the body of the float and upon them squatted the members of 
the four Camp Fires, Agiocochook, Coashaukee, Moose-Missic 

[55] 



LANCASTER 

and Siwooganock. With them were Miss Ehzabeth Lyon, Miss 
Charlotte Craibe and Mrs. Harold A. Bullard, representing 
the Guardians and Assistant Guardians of the respective 
Camp Fires. Upon the float was a smouldering fire steaming 
the kettle, over which watched Wabasso (Mrs. Harold A. 
Bullard). Upon the sides, near the front, hung the Camp 
Fire banners. At intervals during the progress of the parade 
the girls sang the "Wohelo Cheer" 

"Wohelo for Age, Wohelo for Age, 

Wohelo, Wohelo, Wohelo for Age! 
Wohelo for Work, Wohelo for Health, 

Wohelo, Wohelo, Wohelo for Love!" 

The Camp Fire girls were Louise Conner, Clarice Craigie, 
Edythe Carleton, Kathleen Carpenter, Katherine Costello, 
Edith Coates, Maude Coates, Ruth Farnham, Millie Fisher, 
Inez Gordon, Esther Hartford, Margaret Keir, Hortense 
Kingsley, Laura Keeler, Priscilla Moore, Edith Morton, Alice 
Monahan, Maude ]\Ionahan, Ada Marchant, Ruth Nesmith, 
Annie Paschal, Agnes Truland, Lucile Whipp and Eva Woods. 
The float was drawn by four horses. 

Playground Float. A float for pupils of fourth grade. The 
color scheme was white, green and gold. The floor of the float 
was covered with white with an edging of twisted goldenrod. 
It was curtained with white and deep festoons of heavy hem- 
lock ropings. On either side of the driver's seat was an ever- 
green tree. The float represented a complete playground with 
swing, horizontal bar and see-saw. The woodwork was wound 
with white. Yellow ropings covered the posts, and festoons of 
similar material were suspended from the corners. The 
children were dressed in white, the boys wearing green ties, 
and the girls yellow hair ribbons. Ethel Dow sat in the swing, 
while Alton Lewis performed on the horizontal bar and Helen 
McCrea, Ida Harmon and Dorothy Kimball played in the 
sand. Armstead Carpenter shot at an imaginary target vv^ith 
his bow and arrow while Helen Donnelly and Ruth Libby used 
the see-saw. Miss Elizabeth Sweetzer and Miss Marion Wark 

[56] 



ANNIVERSARY 

were chaperones. The other pupils were Kenneth Parsons, 
Gordon Holbrook, HoHis Hartford, Isadore Winer and WilHam 
Munsey. The float was drawn by four white horses with 
Stephen C. Smith (Lunenburg, Vermont) as driver. The float 
was made by the Thompson Manufacturing Company. 

Third Grade Float. This was a representation of "The Old 
Woman in the Shoe," the little school children representing the 
children of the ''Old Woman," impersonated by Marguerite S. 
Armstrong. The huge black shoe was eight by sixteen feet. 
The children were dressed in gay colors and were playing with 
their dolls, Teddybears and toys. Marguerite Armstrong was 
seated in the shoe, dressed in a quaint, old-fashioned gown, 
holding Doris Mooney who nonchalantly munched a cookie 
while the "old woman" wielded a switch of fagots. Hanson 
Twitchell's dog was another member of the family, and not 
in the least disturbed at his surroundings. The float, which 
was curtained in red, white and blue, was made by the Thomp- 
son Manufacturing Company and was drawn by four black 
horses, driven by Frank Nadeau. The little children were 
Henry Gonya, Marion Boyle, Bernice Munn, Donald Savage, 
Blanche Gilbert, Beth Willoughby, Brendon Donnelly, Adessie 
Dow, Lawrence Smith, Helen Coe, and Delaney Kenney. 

^^ Cinderella in Flowerland." The float conveyed many of 
the little ones who had presented the fairy story the evening 
before at the Park. The floor of the float was covered with 
green to represent grass and it was curtained with green cloth, 
caught up in large scallops, held in place by evergreen boughs. 
It was decorated with evergreen trees and large vases filled 
with stalks of hollyhocks. Six large baskets of flowers were 
suspended from the sides of the float. The boys and girls 
sat about under the trees or chatted with their chaperones, 
Miss Lulu Currier and Miss Vivian Lovejoy-(Brandon, Conn.). 
The float was drawn by four black horses driven by Frank 
Moulton. 

The following were in the float: Anna Smith, Margaret 
Keir, Alice Hening, Beatrice Gregory, Lila Johnson, Evelyn 

[57] 



LANCASTER 

McMann, Mildred Donahue, Kathleen Bernier, Elizabeth 
Gillespie, Ruth Kingsley, Ida Currie, Ethel Parsons, Anna 
Colby, Dorothy Schurman, Roxanna O'Dowd, Olive Simonds, 
Evelyn Gillespie, Genevieve O'Dowd, Kathleen McGoldrick, 
Doris Stone, Merrill Shurtleff, Jr., Peter Trainor, Herbert 
Lewis, Muriel Co veil, Evelyn Hill. 

"Old Homestead." This float carried the cast that so suc- 
cessfully presented the rural drama for the benefit of Unity 
Club's Memorial Fund, To the front, mounted on a white 
horse, rode Carmen Amadon, banner boy. The float was the 
representation of the first scene of "Old Homestead" with the 
Company gathered about the well. The scene was set in each 
detail as when produced. About the well were Eb Ganzy 
(Roy Barnett), Ricketty Ann (Miss Olive McMann), and the 
tennis players, impersonated by Glenn Mills, Miss Priscilla 
Bass, Miss Edith Currier, Miss Ethel McNab and Miss 
Florence Droney. The float itself was draped with green 
bunting and from one side, below the stage, hung the banner, 
"The Old Oaken Bucket That Hung in the Well," and 
upon the opposite side of the banner, "How Dear to My 
Heart are the Scenes of my Childhood." Walking hand- 
in-hand behind the float were the two characters, Cy Prime 
(Ralph Shute) and Seth Perkins (Carl Simonds). The float 
was drawn by four black horses, blanketed. 

Following them in an old-fashioned phaeton drawn by a 
large black horse drove "Uncle Josh" (H. F. Olmstead) and 
"Aunt Tilda" (Mrs. George Barnett). All the characters 
were costumed. 

(Editor's Note. — The description of the floats is based upon data pro- 
vided by those in charge of each float. The names were given by those 
best in a position to guarantee their accuracy. Every effort has been 
made to prevent error, and to include every person connected with the va- 
rious floats.) 



58 



Presentation of the Memorial 

Part I — Honoring the Pioneers 

Ten years before the Anniversary, and almost simultaneous 
with its organization, the Unity Club conceived the plan of 
establishing a fund for a Memorial to the Founders to be 
presented to Lancaster upon the One Hundred and Fiftieth 
Anniversary of her Settlement. The culmination of a worthy 
project ten years from its conception means much to those that 
have nurtured and fostered it until the idea has become a 
reality, and hence Unity Club well deserved the ideal con- 
ditions existing at midday on Wednesday when the Stars 
and Stripes were lifted from the mound, revealing the Memorial 
with which Lancaster perpetuates the Anniversary by sub- 
stantial tribute in stone and bronze to "The Brave Men and 
Women Who Redeemed Lancaster from the Wilderness." 

The dedication of the Memorial was one of the most import- 
ant features of the Anniversary, and that it was so considered 
was signified by the large company that met on the northern 
corner of the Park and expectantly awaited the lifting of the 
veil. 

Within a temporary enclosure a platform had been erected 
and here were seated the President of the Day, Hon. Irving W. 
Drew, and the Memorial Committee of Unity Club, compris- 
ing Mrs. Jett L. Bass (ex-officio) , Mrs. Chester B. Jordan, 
Mrs. William P. Buckley, Mrs. Fred B. Spaulding, Mrs. 
James W. Weeks, Miss Mary Ladd and Miss Mary Nye 
Brackett, chairman. A basket of white blossoms spoke ten- 
derly of an earnest co-laborer, Mrs. William H. Leith, who 

[591 



LANCASTER 

passed beyond before the work was completed. Others upon 
the platform were Senator John W. Weeks, Judge Albert R. 
Savage, Emmons Stockwell Smith, Emmons Stockwell 
Smith, Jr., Hon. Frank Smith (who died October 6, 1914, 
closing a business career of over sixty years in Lancaster), and 
the Board of Selectmen, Ivan W. Quimby, C. E. Moses and 
W, D. Pinkham. Especially honored guests were Emmons 
Selden Freeman of Lancaster, whose mother was Mercy 
Stockwell, a daughter of Emmons and Ruth Page Stock- 
well; Ruth Page Gardner, daughter of Alfred and 
Frances Stockwell Gardner, a great-great-great-granddaugh- 
ter of Emmons and Ruth Stockwell; Mrs. Martha Bucknam 
Jacobs, granddaughter of Edwards and Susanna Page 
Bucknam, and her granddaughter, Helen Weeks Bailey. 

Grouped about the monument was a band of women, 
devoted daughters of Lancaster, Vy'ltnessing the climax to 
their undertaking. The little knots of green and white ribbon 
distinguished them as members of Unity Club, whose work 
neither began nor ended with the dedication of the Memorial, 
but touches every phase of life in Lancaster, responding to 
appeals from civic, religious, educational and social move- 
ments. Through the presidencies of Mrs. Chester B. Jordan, 
Mrs. William P. Buckley, Mrs. George E. Morse (deceased), 
Mrs. Burleigh Roberts, Mrs. Frederick Holton, Mrs. George 
F. Morris, Mrs. Harry B. Carpenter, Mrs. Fred B. Spaulding 
and Mrs. Jett L. Bass, it has been a power for good in the 
community, exerting an influence that has been felt in the 
public life of the Town, in the homes and in the schools. The 
Anniversary itself received its first real impetus from Unity 
Club, furthered by an address to them in 1912 by the late 
former governor Chester B. Jordan, who lived to see the 
hope fulfilled. 

Unity Club's history is a story of worthy endeavor, of achieve- 
ment and of united action. It has not been content to live 
with the authors, poets and historians, to admire at a dis- 
tance the works of painters and sculptors, to listen to the 

[60] 




Camp Fires 
Eastern Star 
Unity Club 



ANNIVERSARY 

master compositions of a Mendelssohn or a Beethoven, or 
to tour the world in travel papers, but its chief work, whether 
by intent or otherwise, has been the making of a better 
Lancaster. Thus it was that all by common consent marked 
this as Unity Club's hour; and it was an hour of triumph. 

The President of the Day opened the exercises promptly 
at noon and dwelt briefly upon the constructive work of 
Unity Club. He introduced in an appropriate manner the 
faithful chairman of the Memorial Committee, Miss Mary 
Nye Brackett, who told the interested assembly of the pioneers 
and why Unity Club had elected to honor them. 

Pausing in the midst of her remarks, the speaker awaited 
Master Emmons Stockwell Smith, Jr., of Washington, D. C, 
the son of one of the largest contributors to the Memorial, 
who lifted the flag revealing the fox in bronze upon the 
boulder. Mrs. C. B. Jordan, the first president of Unity 
Club, turned the rods freeing the water which flowed into 
the fountain. The venerable Mr. Freeman, oldest living 
grandchild of Emmons Stockwell, was elected to dedicate 
this Memorial to the pioneers, than whom none took higher 
rank for courage and resourcefulness than his grandmother, 
Ruth Page Stockwell. Master Emmons S. Smith, Jr., filled 
a goblet with the water and passed it to Mr. Freeman, who 
christened the Memorial with the words, "I dedicate this 
monument to my ancestors." 

After little Ruth Stockwell Gardner had scattered water 
lilies in the basin of the fountain, Miss Brackett resumed 
her remarks and made the formal presentation. 

Chairman Quimby of the Board of Selectmen replied with 
remarks commendatory of the Club, and accepted the Memo- 
rial. At the same time he acknowledged a gift from John H. 
Emerson of a marker for the location of the first meetinghouse. 
Mr. Quimby was followed by Mrs. Persis Thompson Babcock 
of New York, one of Lancaster's sweetest singers, who ren- 
ered "The End of a Perfect Day," and when the large audi- 
ence requested more, sang as delightfully, "Remembrance." 

[61] 



LaXCASTEE 

Tlwse impresive esertases were not yei at an end. for still 
aaotber step -was to be taken into the day? of the pioneers 

■when the resourceful Ed-vrards Bucknam Tcas plotting land, 
mimsteiing to the ack. and harvesting cro]^5, Mr. Drew 
introdneed Helen Weeks Bailey, the young daughter of Louis 
G. Baiiey. who. standing beside her worthy grandmother. 
Mrs, Martha Bucknam Jacobs, presented to the town, in 
tiehaif of her grandmother, the compass used by Edwards 
Bueknam in -ma.H-ng the original survey of Lancaster. Miss 
Helen said: 

"This compass which belonged to my great-great-grand- 
father. Gen. Edwards Bueknam. with which he surveyed and 
lotted the Town of Lanca5t.er and other towns in this vicinity. 
I new Bresent to the Town of Lancaster in the name of my 
gr. - ^T. Mrs. Martha Bueknam Jacobs, his only living 

gr_c. . _^i.ter." 

The impressive ceremony was completed when Mr. Quimby 
accepted for the Town the compass, which is ia perfect con- 
dition and bears the date of its manufacture, in London, in 
1754- 

Thus ended the formal dedication of the Memorial, testi- 
fyi-ng that Lancaster hfl.c not forgotten her debt to her ances- 
toi^ He that visits Lancaster may read up>on the bronre 
tablet the inscription: — 

'• To Honor the Brave Men and Women 

Who Redeemed Lancaster from the Wilderness 

This Memorial is Dedicated 

By the Loyal Sons and Daughters 

At the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary 

of the Founding of the Town 

July 6, 1763." 

Immediately following the exercise there was a desire to see 
more of the Memorial, and crowds remained while men, 
women and children drank from the fountain of the pure 
cryBtal water that Lancaster enjoys in such abundance. 

I€21 



ANNIVEE5AET 

It was especially fitting that at the conclusion of these exer- 
cises there was no break in the program, but that the spirit 
kindled earlier in the day by the parade and kept alive by the 
dedication should not be dimmed until the exercises of the 
afternoon. Hence nothing could have been more fitting than 
the "picnic lunch" in the shadow of the Memorial, on this 
Park bordered by Church, School and Librar\', each peculiarly 
new within a few years, and its outlook of valley and mountain, 
The beautiful Park with its velvety lawn, studded by young 
trees, soon entertained as merry a band of picnickers as ever 
opened hampers. It was just one big family in which one 
member was the equal of another. Men of rank and position 
ate sandwiches with as much enjo\TQent and abandon as any 
school boy on the grounds. Countless little groups dotted the 
Park, and guests and hosts talked over the celebration or re- 
called former days as thej- emptied the baskets. Lemonade 
and coffee were dispensed freely and when the invitations 
"lunch with us" became so numerous that the baskets were 
emptied too quickly the many temporary* eating booths border- 
ing the Park were called in consultation. 

The noon-day hour of Wednesday was complete in instruc- 
tion, sociability and reminiscence and one of the not-to-be- 
forgotten chapters of the Anniversary. 



[63] 



E R 



Part II — Dedication Addresses 
Presentation by Mary Nye Brackett. 

Mr. President, Fellow-Citizens, Comrades, Old Home Comers, and the 
Stranger within our gates : — 

We hail you with pleasure. We welcome you with outstretched hand 
on this occasion! 

Celebrating the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of any event occurs 
but once in the lifetime of an individual. Even the anniversary which 
completes a span of only fifty years finds but few who were active partici- 
pants in the first event to hail the rounding out of that period. 

To those here assembled to-day, August, 1764, is a mere matter of history, 
a point of time in the dim and distant past, forgotten altogether by many, 
and veiled in the glamor of romance by those whose thoughts occasionally 
turn backward over the long road since traversed. 

But as we, gathered here to-day, live and move in the glad sunshine of 
this year of grace, 1914, so in the year 1764 lived and moved and acted their 
part in the great drama of life, for which "all the world's a stage," people 
in whose veins the red blood coursed as freely, in whose hearts the passions 
of life were as strong and as virile as in our own to-day. 

"For we are the same our fathers have been, 
We see the same sights our fathers have seen. 
We drink the same stream, and view the same sun, 
And run the same course, our fathers have run, — 

"The thoughts we are thinking, our fathers would think; 
From the death we are shrinking, our fathers would shrink. 
To the hfe we are cUnging, they also would cling. 
But it speeds for us all, like a bird on the wing." 

As we turn our thoughts backward for a few moments over a century 
and a half, let us concentrate them upon one scene — a scene simple and 
pastoral, far removed from the rush and turmoil of life, which even in 
that day and even in this new land were stirring the fives of many and 
bearing them onward to the great cUmax of 1776. 

This quiet scene, far reaching in results, was enacted within our own 
borders, beneath the shadow of our own loved mountains, beside the 
rippUng of our beautiful river. 

[64] 




Senator John W. Weeks 



ANNIVERSAEY 

Only a few brave hearts, only a few strong hands, and one courageous 
woman, facing the terrors of the wilderness, blazing their way through 
untracked forests to find hundreds of miles from home a resting place in 
an unknown countr3^ 

That similar scenes were of constant occurrence at that period, when 
the pioneers in southern New England were pushing further and further 
into the unexplored lands to the north and to the west, that they were 
enacted for centuries with even more tragic setting, as the bones crumbUng 
to dust on the trackless deserts of the sunset lands attest, does not detract 
from the courage or the fame of the first settlers of the Town of Lancaster. 

History and tradition agree that in the year 1763 this town was chartered, 
its boundaries charted and fixed, and the first white men to occupy the land 
built upon the Holton meadow a rude log house which gave them shelter 
during the storms and stress of a northern winter. These two men, David 
Page, Jr., and Emmons StockweU, were the pioneers, the heroes whose 
praises we sing, whose deeds we celebrate to-day. Not to the heroes alone 
do we offer praise, but to one heroine — Ruth Page — the first white woman 
who at the age of eighteen came with her father in the summer of 1764, 
found here her home and, marrying Emmons StockweU, became the mother 
of fifteen children, became with him the founder of the family whose 
descendants are now scattered throughout the length and breadth of our 
land, whose blood permeates and enriches the veins of men and women 
who have done and are stiU doing vahant service in the battle of fife. 

Was she not heroic? When after the first two years of discouragement, 
caused by the failure of crops, and bitter cold winters, her father, brother 
and husband would have turned their faces southward, and gone back to 
their old home in Massachusetts, Ruth Page StockweU, the brave, the 
courageous, calling upon aU her powers of persuasion, pleaded with them to 
try once more, and finaUy prevailed. They remained. Their fate was then 
and there fixed, and through a century and a half her descendants have 
peopled this land. 

Another family founded at this time was that of Edwards Bucknam, who 
married Susanna Page, followed his father-in-law to the new land, and 
became a leading spirit in aU enterprises for the improvement and progress 
of the home of his adoption. Ten children were born to this worthy couple, 
and they no less than the descendants of Emmons StockweU have left their 
impress upon the Town. In truth, the names of Page, StockweU and 
Bucknam are indissolubly bound together as the trio, who above aU others, 
should be honored as the first settlers; the pioneers who pierced the clouds 
that veUed the promised land. 

A century passed away. Not one of those who lived at the period we 
have touched upon were with us; but the Town had grown and flourished, 
and descendants of the pioneers numbered hundreds. 

[65] 



LANCASTER 

In 1864 by a great gathering upon this field, the centennial of the settle- 
ment of the Town was celebrated, the sons and daughters of Lancaster 
coming from far and near to pay homage at the home of their ancestors. 

At this time, as a thank offering, a sum of money was contributed, which 
formed the nucleus of the fund later used to purchase the land now bearing 
the name Centennial Park. This domain in the centre of our Town, set 
apart for the benefit of all, was given as a tribute of admiration for the early 
settlers, and respect for their descendants. 

Ten years ago a few ladies met and formed a club whose name is Unity. 
We were few in number, but great in aspiration. We had small means at 
our command, but a will to overcome all obstacles, and we worked in Unity. 

The first year, 1904, led by our president, we assumed and carried through 
the first "Old Home" day observance in the Town. It wasasuccess! A 
success socially and a success financially, — inasmuch as when the festivi- 
ties were over, and the bills paid, there were twenty doUars to our credit. 
At the suggestion of our leader, Mrs. Jordan, that sum was set aside, and 
added to, as opportunity offered, with the end in view of placing upon 
Centennial Park a memorial to those pioneers; not alone Page, Stockwell 
and Bucknam, but to all the brave men and women who, through the first 
century of Lancaster's existence, struggled with the forces of nature, and 
made them their servant. 

Our plan at first was a simple one, a massive granite boulder bearing a 
tablet or plate of dedication. We slowly added to oin* fund and last year 
(1913) were in a financial condition to execute our plan, when by the 
generosity of Mr. Emmons Stockwell Smith of Washington, and other loyal 
lovers of Lancaster, we were enabled to elaborate our scheme, and add a 
fine piece of bronze to our boulder. In the hands of artists this tribute was 
developed, to keep before the mind of each succeeding generation, the 
coming of the white man to this region, to this Town, known to New Eng- 
land as LANCASTER, New Hampshire. 

Mr. Chairman of the board of Selectmen: You see before you the 
Memorial erected by Unity Club, to perpetuate the memory of the pioneers. 
It stands at the entrance to Centennial Park dedicating that also, to 
the first settlers. It will serve to introduce our village to strangers, and 
speaks of the age and prosperity of the Towti. 

There is nothing foreign in material or construction : the base is from our 
own granite hills, endm-ing from "everlasting unto everlasting." The 
water descends from our o^\ti azure mountains, clear and hmpid as the air, 
pure and sweet as morning dew. In imperishable bronze is typified the 
animal life of this region, harmless and full of grace, wild and free as the 
eagle of the air. 

To me has fallen the high honor of presenting it to the Town, and it is with 
great pleasure I now give to you and your associates and successors, this 

[66] 



ANNIVERSARY 

work of nature and of art, the product of a woman's hand, the gift of 
women to their beloved Town. 

Mr. Chairman: In behalf of Unity Club, and with a sigh of rehef, I now 
place the responsibility of preservation and maintenance in your keeping. 

ACCEPTANCE BY IVAN W. QUIMBY. 

Mr. President : It is beyond dispute that of all the local organizations in 
Lancaster, that of the Unity Club stands pre-eminent for the uplift and 
progi-ess of the community. Organized but a few years ago, the Club has 
worked for all that is good, good morals, good streets, good roads, clean 
parks and cemeteries, good schools, and all the clean and good things that 
go towards making a better people and town. Just to express a thought, 
a Uttle time ago, several years perhaps, the members of the Club had a 
vision appear to them, and in that vision they saw a memorial to the 
pioneers of Lancaster placed on this Park, to be erected and paid for 
entirely by their own endeavors; a committee was appointed and there 
began the accumulation of a fund, which steadily grew, aided by generous 
contributions from former residents, to the end that now, on this One 
Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary, we see the vision realized — the finished 
monument. The Club has accomplished many great things, the greatest 
of all being the memorial we are dedicating. All Lancaster people join in 
praise of its Unity Club. 

It is a fitting memorial to those worthy men and women who located 
and builded a town in this beautiful Connecticut Valley, out of which early 
work has grown the Lancaster of to-day, of which we all are so justly proud. 

To the Unity Club as a whole, to the members of the Committee es- 
pecially, much credit must be given, but to you. Miss Brackett, as head 
of the Committee, is due the greater honor of carrying out the thought and 
scope of the project. The Selectmen, in behalf of the Town of Lancaster, 
thank you sincerely and heartily. We accept your munificent gift, and 
promise you that the Town will care for and preserve it for all time. 

Mr. President: The Selectmen also wish at this time publicly to 
acknowledge another gift to the Town. A tablet in granite marking the 
site of the first meeting-house erected in Lancaster, on Soldier's Park, 
or Meeting House Common, as it was formerly called. The tablet bears the 
following inscription, "Here stood the first church of Lancaster, built 
in 1794, Rev. Joseph Willard pastor for 28 years. A soldier of the Revolu- 
tion." 

The donor is Mr. John H. Emerson, a descendant of the older residents. 
We thank him and accept his thoughtful and generous gift, and assure 
him that it will receive due care. 



67 



The Literary Exercises 



IN 1864 the One Hundredth Anniversary of Lancaster was 
celebrated. Then, as now, a new interest in beloved Lan- 
caster was kindled and her sons and daughters purchased 
the land upon which the exercises had been held and pre- 
sented it to Lancaster, to be known as Centennial Park. 

After the lapse of half a century, another generation of the 
same blood gathered upon this now historic spot to listen 
once more to the story of the Stockwells, the Pages and the 
Bucknams. The intervening years had marked an epoch of 
world-wide achievement and while little in common use at that 
period had not been supplanted by modern invention, charac- 
ter and virtues survive through ages, and the passing of another 
half century had not altered the perseverance, courage and 
fortitude of the Founders of Lancaster nor diminished the 
honor in which they are held by their descendants. 

They willed wisely in 1864. The Park with its attractive 
lawn and growing elms testifies to the care given by an 
appreciative people. To the rear stands the new High School 
building, considered a model for its purposes. At its side is the 
old Court House, not in use but maintained in good repair. 
On the north side is the Congregational Church edifice, also 
new, and upon the south the William D. Weeks Memorial 
Library. Amid such a surrounding rests Centennial Park. 
One might believe that Lancaster had builded about this 
beautiful Park those temples that stand for the highest com- 
munity development. Centennial Park and its environment 
ever arrest attention. Upon this Wednesday afternoon it was 

[68] 



ANNIVERSARY 

the meeting place of the thousands, assembled for the literary- 
feast of the Anniversary. 

The many temporary seats placed about the platform were 
adequate to care for but few of the vast assembly, composed of 
men, women and children, residents and visitors. It would 
have been difficult to have improved the program of the after- 
noon which had excellence and variety. The addresses were 
eloquent and there was vocal and instrumental music with a 
series of folk-dances by the younger girls of the Town. 

The President of the Day was a distinguished citizen of 
Lancaster, whose devotion to her best interests never wavers 
and who, by his works, has brought honor not alone to himself, 
but to his State and to Lancaster — Hon. Irving W. Drew. 
It is needless to say that Mr. Drew presided ably and elo- 
quently, and that his introductions were a notable feature of 
the program. 

His Excellency, Governor Samuel D. Felker, of Rochester, 
brought a warm greeting from the State, and his kindly re- 
marks and presence were appreciated. 

The selection of speakers for such an occasion was important. 
All Lancaster was present to hear the story of the years, and 
it was vitally essential that the words should come from hearts 
in sympathy with the theme. Lancaster listened to the old 
story, clothed in new and eloquent phrases by men who 
cherish her traditions. One needed but to raise his eyes to the 
beautiful library, or to look beyond to the summit of majestic 
Mt. Prospect, to appreciate that the regard of Senator Weeks 
for his native Lancaster was second to no man's. Although 
early in youth called away from the fertile fields and quiet life 
of his New Hampshire home, to render service of a larger 
nature in the busy marts of finance and later in the halls of the 
United States Senate, he has never failed to keep fresh in mind 
the home of his ancestry and the charms of far-away Lancaster. 
For years Lancaster had awaited an opportunity to hear this 
distinguished son, and Senator Weeks was listened to by a 
kindly and appreciative company of friends. 

[691 



LANCASTER 

Albert R. Savage left Lancaster nearly half a century ago to 
continue his studies and later settled in Maine, where to-day 
he is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The youth Albert 
Savage, to whom Lancaster had bade good-bye, so many 
years ago,returned upon this Anniversary as Judge Savage, but 
with a keen sense of appreciation of his boyhood home, and a 
message of encouragement. 

Hon. Edmund Sullivan, native of Lancaster, has never been 
other than a loj^al son. Although for some ten years he has 
practiced his profession in Berlin his visits to his native town 
have been many, and his devotion to her interests has often- 
times been expressed. 

Thus Lancaster listened to the messages of congratulation, 
and good cheer from those qualified in all ways to bring them. 
The addresses published elsewhere in detail gave an epitome of 
Lancaster's history and placed emphasis upon those qualities 
other than material that have conserved Lancaster as a 
prosperous and industrious community. 

The singing was led by a chorus and the vast assembly joined 
in the songs. Rev. William Palmer Ladd of Lancaster, Profes- 
sor of Church History in Berkeley Divinity School, Middle- 
toM'n, Connecticut, offered the Anniversary Prayer. The 
Charter of the Town was read by Ossian Ray (2nd) of Boston, 
Mass., whose father had read it upon the occasion of the 
One Hundredth Anniversary. Mr. Drew, in introducing Mr. 
Ray predicted that Mr. Ray's son, Ossian Ray (3rd), would 
read the Charter at the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the 
Town. 

The series of Folk Dances were entirely new to a Lancaster 
audience, and added a pleasing variety to the program. The 
young girls, representing the Camp Fires, had been carefully 
drilled and the graceful dances, given in costume, won liberal 
applause. A delightful feature was a solo dance given by Mrs. 
Willard Hubbard, formerly an instructor at Wellesley College, 
and who had drilled the younger girls in their dances. 

The offerings of the afternoon had been so many that it was 

[70] 




Hon. Irving W. Drew 



ANNIVERSARY 

necessary to omit some other features and two of the addresses 
on account of the lateness of the hour. The exercises had 
proved helpful and stimulating and as the band played the 
closing march of the afternoon, the crowd left the Park know- 
ing more of the rugged and firm structure upon which their 
present Lancaster had been erected. 



[71] 



LANCASTER 



The Folk Dances 

The series of folk dances presented a new form of entertain- 
ment locally and illustrated some special topic. The dances 
were presented by members of the local Camp Fires. The 
dances were eleven in number and were given between the 
other parts of the afternoon's program in sets of two and 
three. 

The Dances. 



Dance of Greeting 

"I See You" 

Shoemaker's Dance 

Bleking 

Ace of Diamonds 

Norwegian Mountain March 

The Dancers 



Klap Dance 

Chebogas 

How Do You Do? 

Ribbon Dance 

Carousel 



MilUe Fisher 
Ada Marchant 
Esther Hartford 
Edyth Coates 
Anna Colby 
Inez Gordon 
Beatrice Laughrey 
Amalie Smith 
Margaret Keir 
Ruth Farnham 
Annie Paschal 
Hortense Kingsley 
Edythe Carleton 
Katherine Costello 
Adelaide Monahan 
Helen Monahan 



Maude Monahan 
Ethel Parsons 
Edna Woods 
Margaret Home 
Helen Bailey 
Laura Keeler 
Angeline Fraught 
Anna Smith 
Mildred Donahue 
Eva Woods 
Louise Conner 
Clarice Craigie 
Alice Monahan 
Ruth Nesmith 
Agnes Truland 
Lulu Currier 



[721 



N N 



Eileen McGinley 
Elizabeth Gillespie 
Lurline Gillanders 
Evelyn White 
Lillian Simonds 
Geraldine Letter 
Katherine Underwood 
Evelyn Hill 
Maude Coates 



Marguerite Armstrong 
Kathleen Bernier 
Vera Whyte 
Marion Wark 
Violet Fraught 
Lillian Paul 
Elmira Clark 
Muriel Covell 
Cora Merrow 



73] 



LANCASTE 



Lancaster Charter 

"Province of New-Hampshire. 
Lancaster GEORGE, the third 

■j P. S. >■ By the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, 

^ ^-^f— ^ -' King, Defender of the Faith &c. 
To all Persons to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting. 
Know ye, that We of our special Grace, certain knowledge, and meer Mo- 
tion, for the due Encouragement of settling a New Plantation within our 
said Province, by and with the Advice of our Trusty and Well-beloved 
Benning Wentworth, Esqr; Our Governor and Commander in Chief of 
Our said Province of New Hampshire in Neiv England, and of our Council 
of the said Province; Have, upon the Conditions and Reservations herein 
after made, given and granted, and by these Presents, for us, our Heirs, 
and Successors, do give and grant in equal Shares, unto Our loving Sub- 
jects, Inhabitants of Our said Province of New Hampshire, and Our other 
Govermnents, and to their Heirs and Assigns for ever, whose Names are 
entered on this Grant, to be divided to and amongst them into Seventy Six 
equal Shares, all that Tract or Parcel of Land situate, lying and being 
within our said Province of New-Hampshire, containing by admeasurement 
Twenty three Thousand & Forty Acres, which Tract is to contain six Miles 
square, and no more; out of which an Allowance is to be made for High 
Ways and unimprovable Lands by Rocks, Ponds, Mountains and Rivers, 
One Thousand and Forty acres free, according to a Plan and Survey 
thereof, made by our said Governors's Order, and returned into the Sec- 
retary's Office, and hereunto annexed, butted and bounded as follows, Viz. 
Beginning at a Stake & Stones standing on bank of the Easterly side of 
Connecticut River, which is the South Westerly Corner bounds of Stoning- 
ton, thence running South fifty-five Deg^ East seven Miles by Stonington To 
the South Easterly corner thereof, then turning off & Running South Sixty 
nine Deg^ West Ten Miles, then turning off again & Runing North twenty 
six Degrees West to Connecticut River thence up the River as that tends 
to the Stake & stones first above Mentioned the Bounds begun at And 
that the same be, and hereby is incorporated into a Township by the Name 
of Lancaster And the Inhabitants that do or shall hereafter inhabit the said 
Township, are hereby declared to be Enfranchized with and entitled to all 
and every the Privileges and Immunities that Towns within Our Province 
by Law Exercise and Enjoy: And other further, that the said Town as soon 

[74] 



ANNIVERSARY 

as there shall be Fifty Families resident and settled thereon, shall have the 

Liberty of holding Two Fairs, one of which shall be held on 

And the other on the annually, which Fairs are not 

to contine longer than the respective following the 

said and that as soon as said Town shall consist of Fifty Fam- 
ilies, a Market may be opened and kept one or more Days in each Week, 
as may be thought most advantagious to the Inhabitants. Also, that the 
first meeting for the Choice of To-\vn Officers, agreable to the Laws of our 
said Province, shall be held on the first Tuesday in August next which said 
Meeting shall be Notified by David Page who is hereby also appointed 
the Moderator of the said first Meeting, which he is to Notify and Govern 
agreable to the Laws and Customs of Our said Province; and that the 
annual Meeting for ever hereafter for the Choice of such Officers for the 
said Town, shall be on the Second Tuesday of March annually, To Have 
and to Hold the said Tract of Land as above expressed, together with all 
Privileges and Appurtenances, to them and their respective Heirs and 
Assigns forever, upon the following conditions, viz. 

I. That every Grantee, his Heirs or Assigns shall plant and cultivate 
five Acres of Land within the Term of five Years for every fifty Acres 
contained in his or their Share of Proportion of Land in said Township, 
and continue to improve and settle the same by additional Cultivation, 
on Penalty of the Forfeiture of his Grant or Share in the said Township, 
and of its reverting to Us, our Heirs and Successors, to be by Us or Them 
Re-granted to such of Our Subjects as shall effectually settle and cultivate 
the same. 

II. That all white and other Pine Trees within the said Township, fit 
for Masting Our Royal Navy, be carefully preserved for that Use, and 
none to be cut or felled without Our special License for so doing first had 
and obtained, upon the Penalty of the Forfeiture of the Right of such 
Grantee, his Heu-s and Assigns, to Us, our Heirs and Successors, as well as 
being subject to the Penalty of any Act or Acts of Parhament that now are, 
or hereafter shall be Enacted. 

III. That before any Division of the Lands be made to and among the 
Grantees, a Tract of Land as near the Centre of said Township as the 
Land will admit of, shall be reserved and marked out for Town Lots, one of 
each shall be allotted to each Grantee of the Contents of one Acre. 

IV. Yielding and paying therefor to Us, our Heirs and Successors for 
the Space of ten Years, to be computed from the Date hereof, the Rent of 
one Ear of Indian Corn only, on the twenty-fifth Day of December annually, 
if lawfully demanded, the first Payment to be made on the twenty-fifth 
Day of December, 1763. 

V. Every Proprietor, Settler or Inhabitant, shall yield and pay unto 
Us, our Heir and Successors yearly, and every year forever, from and after 

[75] 



LANCASTER 

the Expiration of ten years from the abovesaid twenty-fifth Day of Decem- 
ber, namely, on the twenty-fifth day of December, which will be in the Year 
of Our Lord 1773 One Shilling Proclamation Money for every Hundred 
Acres he so owns, settles or possesses, and so in Proportion for a greater or 
lesser Tract of the said Land; which Money shall be paid by the respective 
Persons abovesaid, their Heirs or Assigns, in our Council Chamber in 
Portsmouth, or to such Officer or Officers as shall be appointed to receive 
the same; and this is to be in Lieu of all other Rents and Services whatso- 
ever. 

In Testimony whereof we have caused the Seal of our said Province to be 
hereunto affixed. Witness Benning Wentworth, Esq; Our Governor 
and Commander in Chief of Our Province, the Fifth Day of July in the 
Year of our Lord Christ, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty three 
and in the Third Year of Our Reign. 

B. Wentworth — 

By His Excellency's Command, 
With Advice of Council, T. Atkinson Jun"" Sec*^^ 

Province of New Hamp' July 6 1763 
Recorded according to the original under the Provincial Seal 

T. Atkinson Jun' Sec""^ 



[76] 



N N I V E R 



Honorable Irving W. Drew 

Irving Webster Drew. Born at Colebrook, New Hampshire, Janu- 
ary 8, 1845, the son of Amos Webster and Julia Esther (Lovering) 
Drew. Fitted at Kimball Union Academy and graduated from Dart- 
mouth, 1870. Moved to Lancaster and studied law with Ray & Ladd. 
Admitted to bar in November, 1871. Became member of firm of 
Ray & Drew, since successively named Ray, Drew & Hey wood ; Ray, 
Drew & Jordan; Ray, Drew, Jordan & Carpenter; Drew & Jordan; 
Drew, Jordan & Buckley; Drew, Jordan, Buckley & Shurtleff; Drew, 
Shurtleff & Morris; Drew, Shurtleff, Morris & Oakes. Admitted to 
Federal Court in 1877. State Senate, 1883-1884. President New 
Hampshire Bar Association, 1899. Delegate to Democratic National 
Conventions, 1880, 1892, 1896. Since Bryan's nomination for Presi- 
dency in 1896 has been a Republican. Member State Constitutional 
Convention, 1902, 1912. Commissioned Major of Third Regiment, 
New Hampshire National Guard, 1876, and served three years. Direc- 
tor Upper Coos Railroad, 1887; president, 1909. For many years 
director of the Hereford Railroad. President Siwooganock Savings 
Bank, 1891 to present time. Director Lancaster National Bank since 
organization. Trustee and President, William D. Weeks Memorial 
Library (public Hbrary). Member New Hampshire Historical Soci- 
ety and other organizations. Knight Templar and Odd Fellow. A 
loyal citizen of Lancaster and a leading member of the bar of New 
England. 

Mr. Drew married, November 4, 1869, Caroline Hatch Merrill, 
daughter of Sherburne Rowell and Sarah Blackstone (Merrill) Merrill 
of Colebrook. Two of their four children survive, Pitt Fessenden 
Drew and Sally Drew, wife of Edward Kimball Hall. 

Ladies and Gentlemen: One hundred and fifty years ago last April, 
David Page, Edwards Bucknam, Timothy Nash and George Wheeler came 
to the Town of Lancaster. In the following August David Page came and 
brought with him his daughter, Ruth Page, who subsequently married 
Emmons Stockwell, who with David Page, Jr., came to this Towninthefall 
of 1763. The Stockwell family had fifteen children, all of whom lived to 
manhood and womanhood. Miss Ruth Page was the heroine of this 
Town. On the night after she arrived here or the night before she arrived 
here there was a frost so severe that it killed all the crops which Edwards 
Bucknam and John Page, Jr., and the three men who came here with David 
Page had planted in the spring of 1764. After a conference by the six men, 
with respect to the wisdom of remaining here or of abandoning this 
place in seeking some more genial climate in which to establish their homes, 
they decided to leave. When it was announced to Ruth Page, she said, 
"No ! No ! We will not leave. What did we come here for? We came here to 

[77] 



LANCASTER 

establish homes; we came here to build a community. Let us stay. Nature 
cannot always be so unkind. Nature will give us good weather and give us 
ample harvests." And the six men yielded to Ruth Page, and they re- 
mained here. For the first two years their crops were not satisfactory. 
But in the third year they had a bountiful crop and they and their descend- 
ants have always had good crops since. So, I say that Ruth Page, the 
heroine of the Town of Lancaster, is the one person to whom to-day we 
should look with the highest degree of honor. 

We have with us to-day men who are to talk to you about the different 
features of the Town of Lancaster. One of them, Honorable John W. 
Weeks, the junior Senator from the State of Massachusetts, is one of the 
ablest men who represents us to-day in the United States Senate; a man 
who is listened to under all circumstances, when he has anything to say 
upon any subject; the man who has done more than any other one man in 
helping to build up the town. He is the man who built the beautiful 
library building in memory of his father, Honorable William D. Weeks 
who was Judge of Probate for this County for several years. He has also 
given a Home for Aged People, which is named for his mother. The Helen 
Fowler Weeks Home for the Aged, in honor of her. It is the Jacob Benton 
place near the head of Main Street. He is here to-day to give you his 
reminiscences, his study and his sentiments in respect to the Town of 
Lancaster. It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Honorable 
John W. Weeks. 



[78] 



N N 



Senator John W. Weeks 

John Wingate Weeks. Born in Lancaster, April 11, 1860, son of 
William D. and Mary Helen (Fowler) Weeks. Educated in Lancaster 
schools. Graduate U. S. Naval Academy, 1881. Midshipman, 1881- 
1883. Civil engineer, 1S83-1S85. Member of firm of Hornblower and 
Weeks (Boston and branches), brokers and bankers, 1885-1913. Ten 
years in Massachusetts Naval Brigade, six years as commander. 
Also as commander Second Division, U. S. Auxiliary Naval Force 
on Atlantic Coast during Spanish-American War. Alderman of 
Newton, Massachusetts, 1900-1902. Mayor of Newton, 1903-1904. 
Member of National House of Representatives, 1904-1913. Member 
of United States Senate, 1913 — . Member of many important com- 
mittees. Chairman Massachusetts Republican State Convention, 
1895. Member Board of Visitors to the United States Naval Acad- 
emy, 1896. Important banking and social connections. In 1885 
married Martha A., daughter of the late Hon. John G. Sinclair of 
Bethlehem. They have two children, Katherine Sinclair, wife of 
John Davidge, and Charles Sinclair. Senator Weeks has always 
been a faithful son. He has erected a summer home at the summit of 
Mt. Prospect. He presented to Lancaster the William D. Weeks' 
Memorial Library and the Helen Fowler Weeks' Home for the Aged, 
both of which stand as proof of his regard for his native Lancaster. 

I appreciate the friendship which has prompted Major Drew to give me 
a somewhat flattering introduction, but I am not here because of my public 
service or for any other reason than that I am a native of the Town and 
wish to join with you in properly celebrating this important anniversary. 

Those of us who were born or have lived in Lancaster would be in- 
different to the benefits and attractions which nature has fm-nished if we 
did not give a high value to our surroundings and were not ready to express 
our pleasm-e that some part of our lives had been passed in such a com- 
munity. I very often feel that we do not appreciate the things which are 
common to us in our everyday life until we have had experiences with 
which they may be compared. 

As a boy, while probably I was not insensible to this beautiful country, 
this healthful climate, and the benefits to be derived from such surround- 
ings, I am sure that age and experience have given me a keener apprecia- 
tion of their value; and, having traveled somewhat extensively and lived 
somewhat permanently in three sections of the United States, I now realize 
that I had failed to give proper consideration to the advantages which 
one has in being born, brought up, and living under such conditions. In 
coming back even briefly as I have done year after year I have looked with 

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LANCASTER 

renewed interest on the familiar scenes of my youth surrounded by the 
everlasting hills so that I now feel, if I have not in the past, that I might 
well sing with all my heart that old hymn which begins "My willing soul 
would stay in such a frame as this." 

The interest of this occasion will be very largely in retrospection. We 
will talk with our old friends and neighbors about the things with which we 
were familiar and we shall revive as far as may be our interest in the things 
which have been of value to this Town and community, in its historical 
personages, and indeed in all those good citizens, many of whom lie in 
yonder cemeteries, who have been the makers of conditions which have 
been the means of putting this Town in the Ust of ideal communities. 

IMPORTANCE OF HECORDING HISTORY 

One of the failures in most such places has been the neglect to record 
history which to those immediately in touch with events has frequently 
seemed trivial but which becomes of value as time goes on — a value which 
will increase in the centuries to come. In many such towns the only 
authentic history is found in the town and probate records and in the 
inscriptions on memorials in the cemeteries. Lancaster is fortunate in 
having a reasonably complete history prepared by three prominent citizens 
in which has been collected many of those things which should be preserved 
covering the first one hundred and twenty-five years of the settlement of the 
Town. I remember how often I talked with my uncle, the late James W. 
Weeks, who was born on the south side of Mount Prospect within fifty years 
of the first settlement and who therefore had known personally most of those 
who had been connected with the Town's affairs up to the time of his death 
in 1899, and how many times I had suggested to him that the incidents of 
real value which he carried in his mind — and it was a storehouse of in- 
teresting events in the Town's history — should be put in some permanent 
form. Fortunately during his life and while that distinguished native son 
of Lancaster, Colonel Henry O. Kent, was still active in all the affairs of 
this community, as he had been from his early youth, aided by Lancaster's 
first citizen, still with us, who in official place and in many other ways has 
given distinction to his home town as well as to bring great credit to him- 
self, our universally beloved Governor, Chester B. Jordan, this work was 
finished, but it was necessarily incomplete because proper records had 
not been preserved; and this should be sufficient notice to those who now 
live and those who are to follow that they should make a record of matters 
which will be at least of interest to their descendants if not to all of those as- 
sociated with the Town, so that in the next century some student may bring 
its history down to date, having the material to assure him that the facts 
he will relate are as accurate as such historical matter can be. An historical 
society should be organized — I am well aware it could not bring together a 

[80] 



ANNIVERSARY 

large collection of material which would be of any greater than local interest 
— yet it could collect articles and material relating to the earlier history and 
even later period of the Town's history which would always have a local 
value. If this is not done soon, such matter will become dissipated, its 
value will be lost sight of, and our descendants will have just cause to com- 
plain that we were not sufficiently alert in performing this trust which is a 
part of the duty of the citizens of every generation. 

While, as I have stated, the subjects which you will discuss will be of the 
past, the real value to be derived from the celebration of the anniversary 
of the founding of a city or town depends entirely on the spirit that goes 
with it. It may properly be made a halting place from which the past may 
be viewed for the purpose of obtaining from it such lessons as come from 
experience and, based on those lessons and the conclusions which may be 
drawn from them, we may set our course for the future. Practically 
speaking, the past is of no value except for the experience and benefit it gives 
us as an example. It is the future which is all important and the lessons 
of the past will enable us to look forward to it with calmness and faith if 
our appUcation of those lessons is likely to be wise. 

If this were a retrograding town, if its history were not one in which to 
take pride, if the character of its inhabitants were less exalted than formerly, 
if the enterprises which go to make up a self-sustaining community had 
become extinct, then we might look to the past with feelings of regret and 
look into the future with the greatest apprehension. Fortunately we fiind 
no such lesson in the past. During its one hundred and fifty years this 
Town has represented those things which are best in a New England com- 
munity. It is true that we cannot boast of its having been the birthplace 
or home of great statesmen, great poets, great musicians, or geniuses in 
any particular walk in life; but while men and women having unusual 
attainments may be valuable elements in the total which goes to make up 
oui composite life they are not essential to the material success or to the 
happiness of a community. Indeed, the quahties to be hoped for in the 
citizenship of any town are those old standard virtues — honesty, enterprise, 
frugality, and loyalty to home and government and rehgion. Without 
them a community may have many of those who have superlative qualities 
in some form and yet it will not fulfill the best in life. With these quahties 
whether they are accompanied by genius of every kind or not a commimity 
wiU be self-sustaining and a valuable integral part of the larger field w^hich 
goes to make up a nation. 

INFLUENCES FROM THE PAST 

In the limited time which I have at my disposal I do not intend to attempt 
to give a history of the Town even in the form of a smnmary. Others quite 
likely may do so; in any case, I am confident that the history to which I 

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LANCASTER 

have referred, which is available to all, would furnish most of the material 
which would naturally go into such an address, yet I cannot fail to call to 
j'our attention some of the things in which the people of this Toivti have been 
interested and some of the leading participants in its affairs, and perhaps 
point out some of the reasons why the results have been so satisfactory to 
those of us who are receiving the benefits of the foresight and high character 
of our ancestors. 

We should be thankful that we live in a time which, based on such stand- 
ards as we have, produces the best result in education, temperance, physi- 
cal comfort, and all of the other conditions which should go with making a 
happy and contented people, that we are endowed with the faculty of not 
only appreciating and understanding those things of which we have per- 
sonal and physical knowledge but we maj'^ connect ourselves with the past 
through history which has more or less truthfully brought to us the happen- 
ings of other times. That faculty enables us to understand the conditions 
under which those who preceded us lived. We may imbibe their spu-it, 
understand their sufferings and trials and appreciate the ambitions which 
controlled them and the rejoicings which came as a result of their efforts — 
in a way we become their contemporaries. Therefore, it is not difficult 
for us to understand the trials and hardships and self-sacrifices which in- 
variably go with the settlement of a new country surrounded, as had 
generally been the case, with savage foes, an unbroken wilderness, failure 
in crops, incompetent control of the diseases to which all mankind is 
subjected and the removal from the centres of refinement and advanced 
civilization. Considering such conditions we can easily understand the 
privations and hardships endiu-ed by those who came to this Town as 
charter members. 

The first settlement of this Town does not differ materially from similar 
undertakings during the period when it was made. There was the desire 
of those who had located in sections which were not particularly adapted to 
agricultural pursuits to obtain a larger area of better land without material 
cost, urged on by the ambition of Governor Wentworth to take possession 
of the indefinite region between the New Hampshire settlements and 
Crown Point on the one hand and Quebec on the other. This settlement 
would have been impossible before the successful conclusion of the French 
and Indian wars in the Fifties because of the raids of the St. Francis Indians, 
which tribe was practically annihilated by Rogers and his Rangers and 
other similar bands of hardy frontiersmen during these wars, and the fear 
of the French who, from their vantage points at Crown Point and Quebec, 
could very well claim domination over this region. These early settlers 
undoubtedly considered the possibility of obtaining a temporary living by 
hunting and fishing, but they were in no sense adventurers; on the contrarj'^, 
they were home seekers whose first desire was to obtain the best available 

[82] 




Judge Albert R. Savage 



ANNIVERSARY 

lands and to found a peaceful, orderly, law-abiding, self-sustaining com- 
munity. 

The first settlers were followed immediately after the end of the Revolu- 
tionary War by many who had taken part in that conflict who with those 
who had preceded them exerted an influence on the character of the Town 
which has been felt down to the present day. Let me refer briefly to these 
fiirst settlers and what they meant to the settlement and its futiu^e activites. 

CHARACTER OF FIRST SETTLERS 

Frequently one person or at most a few persons have a large influence 
in moulding the hfe as well as the future of a community. This is partic- 
ularly true of those who came to Lancaster in 1764. They included David 
Page, David Page, Jr., Emmons Stockwell, Ruth Page, Edwards Bucknam, 
Timothy Nash and George Wheeler. Of these Nash and Wheeler did not 
become permanent residents, but Nash, at least, left his imprint on this 
region for he discovered the White Mountain Notch and gave his name to 
that area in the Notch known at the present day as the Nash and Sawyer 
grant. David Page did not remain continuously in Lancaster and did not 
apparently take as active a part in its life as did the young people who came 
with him, but the other fom- among these comers became and remained 
as such for many years the most important factors in the Town's develop- 
ment. The year following their coming Ruth Page married Emmons 
Stockwell and they had born to them fifteen children, most of whom grew 
to manhood and womanhood in this town. Edwards Bucknam married 
the same year Susanna, the second daughter of David Page, and they had 
born to them ten children, seven of whom grew to manhood and womanhood 
in this Town. 

We may well look back to Ruth Page with admiration if not with aston- 
ishment. How easy it is to see in our mind's eye what must have been her 
life. If her hearing had been sufficiently keen she might have heard the 
morning gun fired from the French fortification at Crown Point or at 
Quebec, resounding over the uninhabited and unbroken wilderness between 
Lancaster and those points. Her memory would take her back to the settle- 
ment at Charlestown, N. H., the first really permanent settlement to the 
South, or she might have even imagined that she could hear the surf beat- 
ing on the rocks of the Maine coast — one hundred miles to the East. We 
can see her engaged in her daily work, visited as she was on many occasions 
by savages when there was no one present to protect her, always living in 
the midst of vvild beasts, dependent upon her own resources and strength of 
character to maintain a condition of contentment and to render the 
assistance which she alone could do in such a community. And yet it is 
not taking anything from this woman's accomplishments to assert that 
even, judged by the test of her endurance and courage, there has probably 

[83] 



LANCASTER 

been no deterioration in American womanhood since that time. We see 
to-day the wives and daughters of American settlers going to the remotest 
sections of Alaska or taking a residence in the wildest and most uncivilized 
parts of the Philippines, exliibiting the same courage and same loj'alty 
to those with whom they are connected that Ruth Page did in her da\'. 
We are apt to look back to the accomplishments of those who have lived 
before with a feeling that they were abnormal and yet it is well for us to 
remember and remember with pride that the women of to-day would, if 
the test came, come up to the high standards set by the American women of 
earlier generations. 

MEN OF DETERMINATION 

David Page, Jr., Emmons Stockwell and Edwards Bucknam were men 
of determination and high character and they for many years furnished the 
vigorous stimulus needed to maintain courage in the faint-hearted who at 
times were disposed to give up the colony. In this respect the Town owes 
an everlasting debt of gratitude to Emmons Stockwell who, at one time, 
undoubtedly prevented the collapse of the settlement. Edwards Bucknam 
was a man of a somewhat different type. He had all the qualities necessary 
in building up a new community, having a capacity to do well nearly 
everything which the ordinary citizen undertakes. He was the land 
surveyor, the justice of the peace, the clerk, the scribe, and performed many 
other functions admirably. It will therefore be seen that this Town was 
not only fortunate in the immediate work done by these j^oung people but 
they became the parents and grandparents of a very considerable portion 
of the population of the town in the following generation, and their descend- 
ants are still included in considerable numbers among those who live in this 
Toi\Ti and region. 

It is a matter of great regret to me, and will be to all of you, that he who 
bore Emmons Stockwell's name in the third generation did not hve to take 
part in this celebration. But even though he is not present we have with 
us three grandchildren of the original settlers, Emmons Selden Freeman, 
a well known and honored resident of this Town; his cousin, Mrs.Temple, 
of Saint Johnsbury, Vermont; and Mrs. Martha Bucknam Jacobs, the 
granddaughter of Edwards Bucknam. I am sure you will all join me in 
extending to them a warm welcome and hope that they may have many 
more years with us. 

The descendants of those who came here during and after the Revolu- 
tionary War and before 1790 were, for one himdred years at least, im- 
portant men in the affairs of the town and state and even to-day they 
are here in considerable numbers, many of them still residents of this 
Town. Those who came here during that time included Stephen Wilson, 
Jonas Wilder, Isaac Darby, Dennis Stanley, John Rosebrook, John Weeks, 
Edward Spaulding, William Moore, Joseph Brackett, John Mclntyre, 

[84] 



ANNIVERSARY 

Phineas Hodgdon, Coffin Moore, Moses White and others. All of these 
names are familiar to the present generation. It is true that some of these 
famiUes have become extinct and one of the subjects which we might 
properly consider to-day, if there were time, is the passing of this old New 
England stock, prolific to a degree in those days, but now rapidly degenerat- 
ing as far as reproduction is concerned. Their places however have been 
taken in many cases by those connected with other nationalities than the 
original settlers, some French, many of them Irish but all here for the same 
purpose that actuated the English stock which originally settled the Town, 
that is to make for themselves and their famihes permanent homes and to 
become good American citizens. 

MEN WHO CAME LATER 

No town in this community had among the earlier Irish settlers sturdier 
or manlier men — such as the Monahans, the McCartens, the Connarys, the 
Sheridans, the Hartleys, the SuUivans, and many others — who have left 
large families, all of whom are admirable citizens, constituting one of the 
very best elements in this region; so that whether the old Yankee stock 
continues or passes and whether those of other lineage take its place or 
not, we may, I think, look forward to the years to come with hope and 
confidence that the standards of the past will be maintained, not because 
they were those of one race but because they were worthy to be emulated 
and aU who wish to become citizens, coming hereafter, will be stimulated to 
foUow the example of these who have gone before and make for themselves 
a place which those who come later may look back to with an equal feeUng 
of gratitude and pride. 

Two of those to whom I have referred as coming here immediately after 
the Revolutionary War were my immediate ancestors, John Weeks being 
my great grandfather and Dennis Stanley the father of my grandmother 
Weeks. While I should not go into family history in detail, I think I may 
be pardoned if I refer to John Weeks, whose name I bear, for my ancestry 
and my being a native of the Town give me a right to claim at least an 
active interest in this family gathering. 

John Weeks, of the fourth generation of his family in America, of South- 
ern New Hampshire birth, a farmer by occupation and soldier in the 
Revolutionary War, came to this Town in 1786 and was one of the first 
settlers on the river road to Dalton. His log cabin was built near the fine 
meadows bordering on the Connecticut River, which have been aptly 
referred to by the Reverend Thomas Starr King in the "White Hills" in 
the lines: 

"The tasseUed maize, full grain or clover, 

Far o'er the level meadow grows. 
And through it, like a wayward rover, 
The noble river gently flows." 

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LANCASTER 

He, as did the first settler, David Page, brought with him his oldest 
daughter, estabUshed his home and was followed later in the long difficult 
trip through the White Mountain Notch by my great grandmother who 
brought her remaining children, one of them a babe in arms. From this 
stock and those related to it have come not only the Weeks family of this 
town but collateral to it the Bracketts, the Webbs, the Bells, the Spauld- 
ings, the Emersons, the Mclntyres, the Jacobs and others who will be 
recognized among the honored and good citizens who have been con- 
nected with these famihes. 

j\Iy grandfather settled on the south side of Mount Prospect where were 
born seven children, including my father who later settled, as the older 
citizens present know, on the river road on the farm which his grandfather 
had originally located and to which I have referred. If space allowed, I 
would hke to saj' much of these men to whom I am so greatlj' indebted 
but I think I may not be out of place if I speak particularly of my father 
in whose memory as soon as I was able — and it was one of the greatest 
joj'S of mjr life — I erected the Memorial Library with which you are 
famihar. There are a few now living who knew him well, many of you 
as children remember him, but very few of 3-ou can appreciate the filial 
pride which I take in him and in his modest career. We all feel that our 
parents have superlative virtues, but after many years of activity in many 
walks of life, associated with men of all professions, occupations, and 
character, I am qualified to say to you that I have never known a finer 
character or one whose manly, gentle, sweet Ufe could furnish a better 
example for those who were fortunate enough to have him for an ancestor. 

Four generations of the Weeks' family have lived in this Town and 
mingled their bones with its soil, including my great uncle. Major John 
Wingate Y.'eeks, for whom I was named, a distinguished soldier in the War 
of 1S12 and one of the three members of Congress who have made their home 
in this Town. Therefore while the earlier Weekses settled in Portsmouth, 
now Greenland, N. H., which must be looked to as the cradle of our family 
in this country, j-et the members of my immediate family will turn to this 
Town as the most cherished spot on this continent and it is as a devoted and 
affectionate son that I extend j^ou my thanks for having this opportunity 
to acknowledge my debt to those members of my family who have preceded 
me and also the equal debt, in another form, which I owe to the home of my 
fathers — my place of nativitj-. 

METHODS OF TRANSPORTATION 

Systems of transportation are the arteries which keep in operation our 
complex industrial life. Wlien these become impaired or are not thoroughly 
constructed or equipped the effect on the body politic is similar to the 
action which hardening of the arteries has on the human system. The 

186] 




I). A . R. 

Mr. Fncman Dtdiailing Memorial 
Ml. Prosptcl Observation Tower 
Baseball Game 



ANNIVERSARY 

correctness of this statement could not be better illustrated than to note 
the changes which have come in the last 150 years in local transportation 
faciUties and the resulting effect they have had on the prosperity of this 
section. If there are those who have not a clear conception of the diffi- 
culties in travehng from one locality in this part of the country to another 
when it was originally settled, they can easily obtain the experience which 
will be a complete demonstration. Go into the uncut spruce forest any- 
where in Coos County and especially in those places where there is thick 
undergrowth, and you will find a condition which was practically uniform 
from Charlestown one hundred miles south on the Connecticut River 
to this village when Ruth Page came here in 1764. 

For many years thereafter the only roads to Lancaster whether the 
traveler came via the Connecticut River route or by the way of the White 
Mountain Notch were blazed Unes. Most of those who came during this 
period walked, though, of course, the weaker ones rode horseback. The 
conditions requiring this fonn of transportation and the hardships attend- 
ing it are well illustrated by the trip of Phoebe Dustin Spaulding in 1769. 
She spent two days and a night on the road from Haverhill to Lancaster 
carrying her young babe in her arms, sleeping on the ground where night 
overtook them and reaching the settlement at Lancaster as night closed 
in on the second day. Mrs. Spaulding was the mother of the well known 
Spaulding family which has fm-nished so many excellent citizens to this 
community. 

This rude sj^stem of transportation continued many years, the first im- 
provement, not in the roads, but in the equipment, being the adoption of 
the pillion used during the first hundred years of the life of the Town. I 
remember seeing one which had been used by some of the earlier settlers. 
This luxm-y, which might be compared with our bicycles built for two or 
the motor cycle with its side attachment, was an extension saddle, the 
woman riding on the saddle behind the man. 

Twenty-five years after the settlement came the early dirt or corduroy 
roads, rough and difficult but enabUng the use of wheeled vehicles. At 
first only the two-wheel shay and ox carts could be used, followed in 1822 
by the first fom'-wheel vehicles. These had wooden springs and we can 
easily imagine the discomforts in travehng over rough roads in a wagon 
constructed in that way; in fact, wagons of this general character though 
somewhat improved as time went on continued to be the best the com- 
munity could afford until about ninety years after the settlement of the 
Town. 

My father has told me that in his younger days he took part in the 
pung sleigh cavalcades which carried the products of the farmers of this 
community to Portland, a little more than 100 miles away, and that it 
generally required five days to make the trip. The type of sleigh used for 

[87] 



LANCASTER 

this purpose has disappeared, its pecuUarity being that instead of sitting 
in the front of the sleigh to drive the horses the driver stood on an ex- 
tension at the rear end. 

With the advent of vehicles with leather and metal springs there de- 
veloped a good road-building spirit similar to that which we have seen in 
recent years, because it was seen that better roads were necessary in order 
to insure the adoption and use of the most up-to-date wagons and carriages. 
The later progressive steps hke the coming of the railroad in 1870, the 
changes in methods of road construction undertaken twenty-five years ago 
and the State roads of to-day are familiar to most of us. 

The end in improvement is not yet. One hundred and fifty years ago it 
required at least two weeks to communicate with Boston and get a reply; 
for many years after the construction of telegraph hues, installed in 1S66, 
we could make the same communication in an hour or less, and by tele- 
phone we do it in a few minutes. Now the wireless towers in Washington 
pick up the ticking of a clock in the Eifel Tower in Paris and the Naval 
Observatory by using the wireless sends the time to all sections of the 
country east of the Rockies and the mariner catches the time as it is sent 
broadcast, assuring him that his chronometer has not changed since his 
journey was undertaken and therefore his location can not be mistaken. 
The airman travels with ease sixty miles an hour and you may confidently 
look forward to the day when you will breakfast in Lancaster, make the 
trip to Boston, complete the business which has called you and return to 
your family at the usual supper hom", or, if occasion requires, communicate 
with your family on the China Coast, getting a reply in a comparatively few 
minutes. 

A CONTRAST OF METHODS 

One hundred and fifty years ago it required at least five days to reach 
either the Atlantic Coast through the Notch or the Charlestown settlement 
on the Connecticut. What would Emmons Stockwell, the pioneer, have 
said if he had been told that in 150 years in travehng by highway one would 
be able to make the trip from Nvunber 10 to Lancaster in the same number 
of hours which it took him days to cover the same distance? What would 
the good citizens of the year 1814 have said if they had been told that the 
assessed value of the automobiles in this Town in 100 years would be as 
great or greater than the assessed valuation of all its property at that time. 
What would the residents of fifty years ago have said if they had been 
told they could take their breakfast at the usual hour in Boston and 
reach Lancaster in good time for supper of the same day travehng over 
highways instead of by railroad. 

What changes since the days, which those of us in middle life recall, 
when those modern Jehus, Free Beede, Jim Pool, and Wat Lindsey, drove 

[88] 



ANNIVERSARY 

the Stages from Littleton to Lancaster, leaving the former town on the 
arrival of the train from Boston and reaching Lancaster about midnight, 
sixteen to eighteen hours from the Metropolis, Beede enhvening the long 
trip with songs and all of them making the trip seem shorter with their 
gossip and interesting comment. How many times I have been wakened 
as the stage passed my father's house by hearing Beede's wonderful voice 
which all Lancaster loved to hear— even when they had the best talent 
from Boston taking part in musical conventions— singing that nearly 
forgotten song, the first Unes of which were; 

"They tell me of that sunny South 
They say 'tis passing fair." 

Before there were roads this was a community living within itself which 
necessarily meant restriction to home products and absolute necessities 
and it was not until the middle of the 19th century that the cost of con- 
veying the products to market did not practically absorb their value. 
Lancaster's first merchants 

Until the days of those admirable merchants. Royal JoysUn and Richard 
P. Kent, no merchant in this Town was financially successful, the reason 
being that there was little actual money in circulation and that conducting 
business necessitated barter, it being necessary to accept the products 
raised by the farmers in exchange for the goods sold to them. These 
transactions could not be completed until the farm products were sold, so 
that necessarily the people were poor and the difficulties of transporting to 
the market at Portland frequently caused material loss in the value of the 
products shipped on account of delays due to impassable roads. 

As late as 1823 the Gazetteer for New Hampshire said of the people of 
this region : 

"They are poor and for aught that appears to the contrary 
must always remain so, as they may be deemed actual tres- 
passers on that part of creation destined by its author for 
the residence of bears, wolves, moose and other animals of the 
forest." 
This exaggerated depreciation of the people of this Town and their 
poverty is not unlike what we are apt to hear at this time by those pessi- 
mists who see Uttle good in the tunes in which they five and the changmg 
conditions which are really improving. I have confidence in the belief 
that the changes made in the prosperity of this Town due to the advent 
of the stagecoach and the four-wheel vehicle and later the raih-oads wiU 
be dupUcated in the great improvement to the roads resulting from the 
coming of the automobile, and that where twenty-five years ago one 
person came to the White Mountain section for pleasure purposes that in 

[89] 



LANCASTER 

the immediate future a hundred will come, will spend their money here 
UberaUy, wiU furnish a market for the products of the soil and will give 
this region renewed and enduring prosperity. These hUls and the many 
reasons which have brought people here for 100 years have not and will not 
change; these attractions in the future wiU be the same as in the past. 
The leisure class increases from year to year and this community will be 
benefited by its coming and by the reduction in the cost of getting its 
products to the market — a self evident proposition. 

LANCASTER'S PRESENT PROSPERITY 

What would the UTiter of the criticism to which I have referred say if 
he could have lived to have seen conditions as represented in this Town to- 
day? I suppose, as has been usually the case in the past, that many wiU 
say we have no new industry and that there is not much going on. I have 
heard that said by my friends for forty years, but let me point out to you 
what has happened in these forty years as is evidenced by the increase 
in the surplus wealth of the Town and community. I remember as a boy 
that there was but one bank in Coos County — the Lancaster Savings 
Bank — and that it then had about $200,000 in deposits. The population 
of Coos County with the exception of the city of Berlin has not increased 
materially in the intervening time and there have not come into the county 
— again excepting BerUn — industries which would draw to it much wealth, 
and yet instead of there being just one bank in the coimty there are now a 
dozen banks and instead of the total deposits of the county being $200, 
000 the total investments in bank shares and deposits of this Town are 
substantially ten times that amount. In other words, the writer of the 
criticism which appeared in the New Hampshire Gazetteer, if he could 
have lived until to-day, would have found a million dollars in the Lancaster 
Banks for every one hundred thousand dollars found there forty years ago, 
and I am informed that the banks of other towns in the count}' have as 
much or more. I think this is a conclusive argument that there has been 
thrift and frugaUty and prosperity among the people of this Town, so that 
those who are apt to be influenced by the pessimist holding up to them 
pictures of the prosperity of other sections of our country should dis- 
count these complaints and reply that the growth in wealth and prosperity, 
and comforts, which have come to this Town in the last forty years have 
exceeded many times over those which came in the first 100 years of the 
Town's existence and this vested wealth has been parallel to and coinci- 
dent with increased facilities in transportation. 

HER ILLUSTRIOUS SONS 

While I have said that the Town has not had many illustrious sons yet its 
average has been high in all walks of life and especially so in the case of 

[90] 



ANNIVERSARY 

the legal profession. The Town's first lawyer was Richard Claire Everett, 
who settled here in 1793, married a daughter of the Town, and Uved and 
died in the house at the corner of High and Main streets, now known as the 
Cross House. He was the forerunner of a bar which has included among its 
members men of great legal attainments. 

Forty years ago it had among its active attorneys the Hey woods; the 
Fletchers; Ray, Drew & Jordan; Hon. WilUam Burns; Judge WilHam S. 
Ladd; Hon. Jacob Benton; Hon. Benjamin F. Whidden; George A. Cossitt 
and immediately before and after that time other men who attained 
distinction in their profession. It is very unusual to find, in these days of 
compromise and tendency to settle suits, more than two or three lawyers of 
the first class in a town of this size. There will be general agreement that 
the men to whom I have referred formed one of the most unusual bars that 
could be found anywhere in the United States in such a community. 

Lancaster has furnished its quota, more than its quota, to every war in 
which our country has been engaged since the foundation of the Town — 
very few to be sure in the great war which made us a nation because there 
were not many here available for that purpose — but if one doubts the 
ready response to the call of our country's support in other times he has 
but to look at the fist of names on the monument in Soldier's Park where he 
will find that there was scarcely one of the older families which has not 
contributed of its numbers to the contests in which our country has been 
engaged. The records show that two of the seventeen males who were 
then residents took part in the Revolutionary War; that the company 
which Captain John Wingate Weeks led into the War of 1812 included 143 
men, all coming from this section, and that when volunteers were called 
for in 1861 five per cent, of the voting population had enhsted at the close 
of the second day. Among these there may have been no military genius, 
but there was at least one son whose career in the Civil War should send 
a thrill of pride through every loyal native of this Town. I refer, of course, 
to Colonel Edward E. Cross, the gallant commander of the Fifth New 
Hampshire Regiment in the Civil War, a regiment which in proportion to its 
numbers engaged lost more men during its career than any regiment in the 
northern armies. For more than two years it was led by this intrepid and 
adventuresome spirit who was always in the fight and in the fight until the 
finish. His service warranted his expecting and hoping for the star of a 
Generalship; indeed, he was serving as a Brigadier General in command of a 
brigade when killed in the wheat field at the foot of Little Round Top in the 
battle of Gettysburg where 98 out of 182 men of his old regiment were 
killed or wounded in the evening of the second day of that great battle. 
If he had been spared to continue his career to the end of the war he would 
easily have estabHshed himself as one of the most successful non-pro- 
fessional soldiers of that great conflict. So to him and to all others who 

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LANCASTER 

have taken part in National contests we may this day acclaim our satis- 
faction that when the supreme test has required it the sons of Lancaster 
have always been ready for the sacrifice. 

SUCCESS DUE TO CHARACTER 

The character of this Town and the success of its people as well as of 
large numbers who have gone to other localities is due to the Lancaster 
Academy and the training which our youth has been given within its walls. 
It was elementarj^ and it was not without breaks and temporary failures, 
but it is worth noting in this day of systematic and all comprehensive 
school teaching that the graduates of this school have met with unusual 
success in every section of the Union competing with the graduates of more 
famous schools and colleges. Its alumni are here in large numbers. An 
association has been formed which with other interests should work to 
keep the schools of this Town up to the best standards and the hope that 
the results will be equal to those of the past. 

Those who came as the first settlers to Lancaster were firm behevers that 
Government should be based upon moraUty and rehgious sentiment; that 
the good Christian is naturally a good citizen and, therefore, among the 
fii"st things they did was to estabhsh a chm'ch and call to it Parson Willard 
who, for many years, was the religious and moral leader of this Town. 
Such a man may stamp his individuality not only on those who are directly 
in contact with him but upon the whole community. We see to-day, even 
in a time when there are multitudinous interests which take the time of 
men, women and children, some men who, by their conduct and example, 
are exercising a strong influence upon those with whom they are brought in 
contact. As time has gone on, other churches have been organized in the 
Town; new divisions, incident to creed and methods, have been emphasized 
by separate places of worship and a long fine of excellent men have fiUed 
their pulpits. But I believe that a better day has come in matters relating 
to rehgious activities. There is a distinct movement towards concentration 
of effort. Men stiU insist on their particular faith as the one best suited 
to the rehgious requirements of the community, but the age of hostile 
criticism and doubt because others do not agree with them is passing away 
and a better day is coming when we shall aU recognize the fundamentals of 
a Christian life and modify or entirely remove our faith in creeds and 
dogmas. 

Those who first came to the To'mi gave to it such a substantial character 
that there was a permanence and stabiUty in the settlement even from the 
building of the first log cabin and that general air of satisfaction and 
happiness, cleanhness, respectable appearance, which the Town has always 
had, is maintained with undiminished excellence down to and including the 
present day. Where will you see better ordered streets, better maintained 

[92] 




W. E. Bullard 
F. C. Cleaveland 
Dr. H. S. Pratt 



ANNIVERSARY 

houses and surroundings, more beautiful trees, a more general air of thrift 
and comfort and the plenty which is sufficient to drive away the possibility 
of want than in this Town? To be sm-e, there are no palaces here; there is 
nothing extraordinary in architecture or in any of the quahties which go to 
make up a New England vUlage, but there is that general average of com- 
pleteness in aU that is necessary, which can not be excelled in any similar 
community. 

The Town has not only done this but it has sent into many other com- 
munities its sons and daughters, some of whom have returned here to-day 
to join in this celebration, hundreds of whom are worthy and important 
members of some other community, continuing the habits of life which 
they have acquired here and bringing to their adopted homes the best 
elements of these sm-roundings. 

ELEMENTS IN TRUE SUCCESS 

Occasionally one of them has in some degree excelled his fellowmen in 
the accumulation of money or in important position which he may have 
obtained or in some other department of life. There may be among those 
who have remained and who have seemed to have hved a more reserved — 
at least a quieter life — who may think at times that they have not accom- 
plished as much in the world's affairs as they might have done if they had 
gone to other fields; I want to say to them, if there are such in this presence, 
that success in Ufe is not important position, it is not the accumulation of 
money, it is not doing important and prominent things in any capacity, 
but it is doing the best you can with the material you have at your disposal, 
in whatever surroundings you may find yourself, and those who have gone 
to other fields — a distinguished example of whom has just passed from 
the stage of life — the late Henry W. Denison, for many years the advisor of 
the Japanese Government in aU of that Government's foreign affairs, the 
last American citizen to be retained in an important place by that govern- 
ment, and aU others like him who have seemed to do more important 
things than you have accomplished — have simply done the best they could 
and have made the fullest use of the opportunities which have come to them. 
If you have done the same in this community, if you have brought up your 
family as God fearing, loyal citizens, if you have done your part to make 
this community as good a place in which to live as it was when you joined it 
or even to better the conditions which you originally found, then you are 
entitled to the same credit and should be as happy in the consciousness of 
having done as well as he who has seemed to accompUsh more in other 
fields. All of us have a bit of envy in our natures, but envy is never justi- 
fiable and position in life is the last reason why we should envy om: fellow- 
men. 

Regard for or pride in ancestry may be an evidence of a tendency to 
depend upon reputation rather than upon works but a suitable regard for 

[93] 



LANCASTER 

ancestors and the example which they have set must be, I think, an in- 
centive to better living and doing. What sense can be stronger than the 
feeling that we are worthy of those who have preceded us and what will 
cause us to perform our duties more efficiently than the thought that we 
are continuing the excellent poUcies of those who have gone before us. 

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE 

This is a period of great changes in Nations as well as smaller com- 
munities; it is a period of experimenting in governmental and in social 
problems. Much of this is the undigested production of impractical minds. 
Some of it will result in improving conditions if for no other reason because 
it will mean the replacing of old worn-out methods with modern methods 
fitted to the special conditions which prevail. There is no occasion for 
Lancaster to become a poUtical or social experimental station. On the 
contrary it may well abstain from changes until the proposed procedure has 
been tested bj^ time and usage elsewhere. Then and only then should you 
give up what has served you well in the past. Why should you follow any 
other course? You are remote from the great activities, unaffected by the 
seething, fermenting thought which is so prevalent in all large communities. 
You can or should view the great questions which are agitating mankind 
dispassionately and wisely. You have every agency necessary for the pro- 
motion of health, comfort and real happiness, you are inteUigent, charita- 
ble, religious and your history is one of happy memories and sane per- 
formances. All nature smiles on this town. Let us be satisfied that these 
conditions are sound, that they should be protected. 

It should give the people of Lancaster no concern that its growth has 
been slow. This condition might have been obviated perhaps by the 
establishment of industries requiring the bringing here of a class of un- 
desirable people. There is no satisfaction in mere bigness; it may be the 
antithesis of greatness. Such growth as has come to this to'mi has not 
changed its character which is what makes a community great. 

Very few of us who are present to-day will be present to join in the 
200th anniversary of the settlement of this To^vti, but we may hope that 
those who follow us, who will conduct and take part in that celebration, 
may find much that makes this a better world in which to Uve and in re- 
calling our actions and efforts will be able to say that we hved up to our 
obligations as good citizens and that they will be able to recount many 
changes similar to those which have made the immediate past the most 
fruitful and progressive period in the world's history. Let us hope that they 
will see that we contributed to the cause of good government and to religious 
Uberty and that we were insistent in promoting any cause which would 
make better the condition of man and his surroundings. Then they will 
look back upon us with the same feehng of gratitude and appreciation 
which we feel for those who have preceded us. 

[94] 



N N I V E R 



Judge Albert R. Savage 

Albert R. Savage. Bom at Ryegate, Vermont, December 8, 1847, 
son of Charles W. Savage (a native of Lancaster) and Eliza M. (Clough) 
Savage of Ryegate. Parents removed to Lancaster in January, 1856. 
His father was a farmer. He went to school in District No. 7, and 
later attended Lancaster Academy, from which institution he gradu- 
ated in 1867. Graduated from Dartmouth College, 1871. Taught 
in Northwood, N. H., Seminary and Northfield, Vt., High School, 
1871-1875. In 1875 removed to Auburn, Maine. Admitted to the 
Bar in 1874. Practiced law in Auburn, 1875-1897. County attorney 
for Androscoggin County, 1881-1885; Judge of Probate, 1885-1889; 
Mayor of Auburn, 1889-1890-1891; representative to the Legislature 
1891-1893; speaker of the House, 1893; senator in Maine Legislature 
1895-1897; associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 
May 15, 1897-April 9, 1913; chief justice of the same Court, April 9, 
1913, to the present time. A distinguished jurist. Given degree of 
LL. D. by Bates College, 1897; Bowdoin College, 1909; Dartmouth 
College, 1911. Married, August 17, 1871, Nelhe H. Hale of Lunen- 
burg, Vermont, who died August 24, 1912. Their three children have 
all died. Married, September 2, 1914, Frances A. Cooke of Weston, 
Massachusetts. 

Mr. Drew: Ladies and Gentlemen: Our next speaker will be Hon- 
orable Albert R. Savage. He is a descendant of one of the oldest families 
in our Town. He was reared in Lancaster. His father lived here many 
years. He has become a distinguished Judge, and is now Chief Justice of 
the State of Maine. He writes as able opinions as any judge in New Eng- 
land. I know this because we have used them in practice many times. 

He will now give you his views of Lancaster and her people. 

Mr. Savage: Ladies and Gentlemen: In view of the very flattering 
introduction given to me by Major Drew, I think I better read to you one 
of my opinions, and let that go for the performance of my duty this after- 
noon; but I didn't bring one with me, so I am obliged to fall back upon what 
I had originally thought I would say. 

I want in the first place to express my thanks for the privilege of meeting 
here to-day with my old friends in Lancaster. Lancaster was not my 
native town; I am not a son of Lancaster by birth; I am only a grandson; 
but I am an adopted son, also, for all of the days of my youth from almost 
my earhest memory were spent here in the Town of Lancaster upon one of 
the farms in the eastern part of the Town. 

When your committee kindly honored me by inviting me to come to-day 
and say a few words they suggested that I might talk about anything I 

[95] 



LANCASTER 

pleased. In a moment of absentmindedness I wrote back that I would say a 
few words about the Lancaster of fifty years ago as I remembered it; but 
when I came to think seriously of it, I feared I had made a mistake, for my 
geography, my local geography of Lancaster, I found was imperfect; I 
found that that part where I had Uved and moved and had my being, that 
part of the Town I remembered pretty well; that other parts of the Town I 
did not remember so well, so that whatever I might say would necessarily 
be partial and imperfect. But I am going to spend a few minutes, and only 
a few minutes, in trying to recall to j'our memories Lancaster as it was in 
1864, at the time of the Centennial Celebration and the year or two before 
and after. 

LANCASTER FIFTY TEARS AGO 

There are many of you here, I see, wearing to-day these buttons which 
indicate that you, too, were here on the 14th day of July 1864. You will 
remember that on that day, the day of the celebration, there was a parade 
as there has been to-day, but not so long and not so beautiful; there were 
then in line, as I remember, only two organizations, the Commandery of 
Knights Templar and the Fire Companies; there were no Odd Fellows in 
Une; there were none of the other orders which have been represented here 
to-day. And that difference of itself shows perhaps, as well as anything, 
the great change which has come over social life since 1864. That proces- 
sion was headed by Whipple's cornet band, marshalled by Col. Henry O. 
Kent. They marched up this same Main Street to North, and back from 
North to this ground, which was then privately owned, hstened to address- 
es made by distinguished citizens, had a banquet, and speeches at the 
banquet, and at the end they formally voted to adjoin-n to meet on this 
spot one hundred years from July 14, 1864. They all agreed to come pro- 
vided they could. We are met to-day, not in pursuance of that adjoiu-n- 
ment, but by special caD, a call no doubt inspired not only to bring forward 
the memories of the past and inspire the future, but to accommodate some 
of us who may not find it convenient to be here on July 14, 1964. 

Now for Lancaster of fifty years ago. It had ceased to be the time of 
pioneers. Lancaster had found itself. The work of cutting down the forest, 
and fitting the land for cultivation was done for the most part; the axe had 
been followed by the plough and the harrow, and the shovel and the hoe. The 
hand of man had conquered the wilderness, and had made beautiful fields 
of waving grass and growing crops. Lancaster was famed then, and is now, 
for its beautiful and fertile meadows through which ran the Connecticut 
River and the Israel's River. The hillsides were then more rocky than now, 
but of good soil; and the hundreds of miles of stone wall attested the thor- 
oughness with which the hand of man had met and overcome the difficulties 
and adversities of nature. The century which was just then ended had been 

[96] 



ANNIVERSARY 

a busy one, and there was present here that day, living in this Town, three 
men who were the sons of the original Emmons Stockwell and Ruth Page, — 
Ephraim Stockwell, Emmons Stockwell and John Stockwell. And there 
were here on that day representatives of many others of the old families 
who settled Lancaster at the first, or at least during its first fifty years. 
Such were the Stockwells, whom I have already mentioned, and the 
Spauldings, and the Weeks and the Whites and the Bucknams and the 
Chessmans and the Bracketts and many others that I might name but 
whom I have no time now to call to your minds. 

While I am speaking of the old families and the old names and the men 
who were here fifty years ago so nearly connected with the very first settlers, 
I want to add something to that which Senator Weeks has said ; that there 
are in this Town to-day people who are examples of the persistency of 
famiUes and of the persistency of those old names. There is in this Town 
to-day a Ruth Stockwell Gardner, in the fifth generation from Ruth Page 
and Emmons Stockwell; and there is in this Town to-day a David Page 
Currier, in the same generation from Emmons Stockwell and Ruth Page; 
grandchildren of your own Dr. Stockwell. And until a few weeks ago there 
was living in this Town another Emmons Stockwell, grandson of Emmons 
and Ruth. Three generations had covered the entire period from 1764 
until now. 

A VILLAGE OF TWO THOUSANDS 

Lancaster of fifty years ago contained about 2,000 inhabitants, two- 
thirds of whom resided here in this beautiful viUage in about 150 houses. 
The streets were simple and earth wrought. There were no concrete side- 
walks until 1868, nor street fights until 1869, and even then the lights were 
of kerosene and maintained by private enterprise. The contrast between 
those streets and walks, and the well built roads and concrete walks of to- 
day, — garnished as they are by neatly kept, unfenced lawns on either side, 
is most striking to one who comes back out of the memories of the past to 
the fiving present. The general aspect of the village, or some parts of it, 
is very much changed. The general aspect of the Town at large is not so 
much changed. When I come to the viUage and pass to the lower end of 
Main Street I find that there the stores and buildings of fifty years ago have 
been, most of them, removed by fire or otherwise, and those broad, hand- 
some blocks so full of trade and business to-day are new to me. But in the 
Lancaster of fifty years ago there was still much business carried on in the 
stores of that day. And you will pardon me if I recall to your memories 
some of the men who were engaged prominently in business in 1864 in 
Lancaster. I cannot recall all. 

Royal JoysUn, who has already been mentioned by Senator Weeks, had 
been here since 1825, conducting a general store, and in 1864, his store was 

[97] 



LANCASTER 

under the old Town Hall, and he was postmaster. And then there was 
Richard P. Kent, who, at one time, in 1S2S, and for j'ears afterwards, was a 
partner of Mr. Joyslin and who died a few years afterwards after having 
been fifty-seven years in trade in Lancaster. They were men of the old 
school. They were men of the highest type of integrity and citizenship, and 
I am very glad to-day to pay this tribute to their memories. 

The limit of time which I have imposed upon myself will not permit me 
to do more than name others, and to express the regret that there were still 
others whose names do not come back to me. There were Nelson Kent, dry 
goods; Charles B. Allen, watchmaker and jeweler; Nelson Sparks and 
Thomas S. Underwood, tailors; A. J. Marshall and Harvey Adams, carriage 
and sleigh makers; J. I. Wilhams, foundrj-; J. A. Smith, Frank Smith and 
D. W. Smith, groceries, flour, etc.; F. White, daguerrean artist (photog- 
raphy was a new art) ; Enoch L. Colby and Horace Whitcomb, saddlers 
and harness makers; John P. Hodge, grist mill; Hartford Sweet and Na- 
thaniel Sticknej^, boots and shoes; Lafayette Moore, dry and furnishing 
goods; Dr. J. W. Barney, soon succeeded by Edward Savage, drugs and 
medicines and books and stationery; Isabel Blodgett, millinery. There 
were also Oliver F. Nutter and Reuben L. Adams and James L. Rowell. 
I merely mention these names to call back to your memories who were the 
business men of Lancaster in 1864. 

The Lancaster House, which stood as a substitute for the coming of the 
Grand Trunk Railway to Lancaster, had been in operation six years. Lan- 
caster's only newspaper was the Coos Republican, owned and edited by 
Col. Henry O. Kent. On Middle Street, near the bridge, was the White 
Mountain Bank, the only banking institution in Lancaster at that time. 
Not long after its doors were closed and its affairs hquidated, as perhaps 
some who are here to-day may remember unpleasantly. 

SOME OF THE PEOFESSIONS 

Fifty years ago Dr. Jacob E. Stickney, a physician of the old type, 
splendid representative of the old-fashioned family physician, was in active 
practice here in Lancaster. He had practiced here for fortj'-three years. 
There was also Dr. J. W. Barney, not so actively engaged in practice as Dr. 
Stickney. Then, in our boyhood days, there were Dr. J. D. Folsom, who 
afterwards removed to St. Johnsbury; and Dr. Frank Bugby, whose tragic 
death a few years later has not yet passed from the memory of the citizens 
of Lancaster. 

In 1864, as perhaps many of you remember, the Reverend Prescott Fay 
preached in the Congregational Church there, a man of beloved memory, a 
man whose memory we all revere, — those of us who remember him. He was 
succeeded shortly after by Rev. H. V. Emmons, a man of deep culture and 
profound piety. In the Methodist Church the minister was the Reverend 

[98] 



ANNIVERSARY 

Simeon P. Heath; and in the Baptist Church, which stood very near where 
the beautiful hbrary now stands, was the Rev. George A. GHnes. Rev. 
Father Noisseaux had charge of the spiritual interests of those of the 
CathoUc faith in town, though I think not then settled in Lancaster. And 
the Unitarian pulpit was not then occupied. 

Now the bar of Lancaster has been spoken of — one of the best bars, one 
of the best, ablest set of lawyers that the State of New Hampshire has ever 
had within its border, I venture to say. I will venture to say that in 1864, 
when Jacob Benton, Ossian Ray, WilUam Burns, William Heywood and 
Hiram A. Fletcher and Benjamin F. Whidden were the active members of 
the bar (George A. Cossitt was not so actively engaged in court but still 
a very active lawyer; and there was Jared I. Wilhams who joined with 
his professional work a business career). I will venture to say that there 
did not e.xist in the State of New Hampshire in 1864 a brighter galaxy of 
legal lights than the Town of Lancaster could boast of. Turner Stephenson 
was Judge of Probate, John M. Whipple, Register of Probate, and Daniel 
C. Pinkham, Clerk of Court. And connected with the court was Enoch L. 
Colby, sheriff, whose dignity impressed my boyish eyes, as he, in full 
civilian dress, with silk hat and cockade, escorted the presiding Judge to 
and from the old Court House. 

THE INFLUENCE OF THE ACADEMY 

Now, my friends, to hasten on, I speak as Senator Weeks has of Lancaster 
Academy. Lancaster Academy in 1864 was in the height of prosperity. 
The new building had recently been built out of the proceeds of the twenty 
thousand dollars which the Grand Trunk Railroad paid for not coming into 
Lancaster, which was sifted through the Lancaster House, that is, the old 
Lancaster House, and what was left of it went into the new buildings of 
the Lancaster Academy. In 1864 Harlan W. Page, — do you remember 
him? — was principal of the Academy — a fine, scholarly gentleman, still 
living in a hale and hearty old age in the State of Minnesota. It was my 
pleasure to meet him three years ago at a Dartmouth Commencement, and 
I was able easily to recognize him. He had the same features and the same 
appearance that Principal Harlan Page bore in 1864. He was followed by 
Principal Odell, to whose school I did not go, and then by Mr. O. C. Palmer, 
whom some of you must remember, an earnest, forceful, enthusiastic man 
who impressed himself upon all who came near him, who inspired the am- 
bitions and fostered the hopes of all the boys and girls who went to the old 
Lancaster Academy. And I take this occasion to pay my personal tribute 
of grateful remembrance to Mr. Page and to Mr. Pakner. 

Of the general business of Lancaster outside of those that I have named I 
will say but a word. We had the usual complement of sawmills and a grist- 
mills and starch mills; and there had been built the year before, I think, a 

199] 



LANCASTER 

strawboard mill. Bej'ond that I do not remember any enterprises of a 
business nature, outside trading, of any great consequence. 

But irrespective of the incidental advantages which a town may have by 
reason of its natural resources, the fertility of its soil, its means of trans- 
portation, the real town is the town that the men who live in it make it. 
And such was the real Town of Lancaster in 1864. It was prosperous, happy, 
beautiful because of those who lived in it and held it up to its best tradi- 
tions. And I should, I fear, not be doing my full duty if on this day and 
with this opportunity I failed to call to your minds and memories some of 
the men who made Lancaster what it was in 1864; who made it what it was, 
the proud North Star of the Granite State. And yet I do it with much 
hesitation, because I fear I shall omit the names of many who ought to be 
remembered on an occasion of this kind. And in naming a few of the 
leading citizens outside of those whom I have already named, I shall call 
only those who were of mature life; the younger men, although then promi- 
nent, some of them, had their careers afterward. I shall speak and name 
only those who in 1864 had arrived at the maturity of manhood and had 
showed their power and their strength in making Lancaster the best as 
well as the most beautiful town in New Hampshire. They were forceful, 
sterling men. 

FORCEFUL, STERLING MEN 

Such men were Jared W. Wilhams, who had been United States Senator; 
first the congressman, then governor, then senator. Such men were James 
W. Weeks and WiUiam D. Weeks, whose son has so grandly represented the 
Town, the old citizens and their memories to-day upon this platform. And 
there were William R.Stockwell, who lived in the eastern part of the Town, 
and whom you all know, at least by family, and Colonel John White, and 
James A. Brackett, who I am told lived a peaceful, happy old age, and who 
has but recently gone to the fathers; Samuel H. Legro, Samuel F. Spaulding 
— Samuel Fitch Spaulding, whose name was so prominently connected with 
the development of the top of Mt. Washington; and John Hubbard 
Spaulding, Edward Spaulding, and Charles Plaisted, Fenner M. Rhoades, 
Fielding Smith, William Rowell, Bartlett C. Towne, Horace F. Holton, 
Benjamin F. Hunking, Moody P. Marshall, Edmund Brown, Seneca B. 
Congdon. And I hope it will not be inappropriate for me to add to this hst 
at least one of those of whom there were several then Uving in Town, whose 
name I bear, the name of Seth Savage, for a long time a prominent and 
leading citizen of the Town of Lancaster. There are others I have no doubt 
equally worthy to be included in this list. That they are not mentioned 
here is due to a faulty memory which I must ask you to forgive. But I take 
pleasure in placing these names upon the permanent records of this celebra- 
tion to-day, as being men of sterling worth, who by their industry, their 

[100] 




"OW Womari in Shoe" 

Playground 

"Cinderella" 



ANNIVERSARY 

sobermindedness, their thrift and their pubhc spirit had made Lancaster 
what it was in 1864. 

Now fifty years ago Lancaster was somewhat cut out from the rest of the 
world; but it was not provincial. It had been up to within a few years a 
four days' journey to get from Lancaster to Boston. In 1864 there was no 
telegraph, so that all of our outside communications came by mail, practi- 
cally all of them. In 1864 there were no railroads in Lancaster. One had 
been built, the Grand Trunk, to that part of Northumberland which is now 
Groveton, a few years before, and another one twenty miles away at Little- 
ton; still neither of them came to Lancaster. It was the day of the old 
stagecoach. And I remember very well the coming and going of those old 
stagecoaches. It was a long, dreary and sometimes dark trip from Littleton 
to Lancaster, unless we were sung to, as the Senator has told us this after- 
noon. One day the stage came and went by Whitefield, the next day it 
came and went by Dalton. I was a clerk in the Joyslin store a part of the 
year of 1864. I had to get the mail off at four o'clock in the morning, and 
I can almost hear now the sounds of the rxmabUng wheels of the old stage- 
coaches as they came into Town between nine and ten o'clock in the evening 
bearing the passengers of the day. 

LANCASTER AND THE WAR 

In 1864 this nation of ours was engaged in a tremendous struggle for its 
life. That war had reached its last, and as it turned out, its triumphant 
stage. Lancaster had borne its fuU share of the burdens of that war. It is 
recorded that 250 or more of the men of this Town went to the front and 
there fought and bled or died, many of them, for the good of their country. 
Lancaster had paid its full share in the bitter price of war. Colonel Cross, 
who has been already mentioned to-day, had been killed at Gettysburg in 
1863. Lieutenant Lewis had fallen at Fredericksburg in December, 1862. 
And besides these officers of note there were scores of men who had attested 
their valor and their patriotism with their blood, or had sickened and died 
in camp, in hospital or in rebel prison. Survivors, maimed or broken in 
health, walked about our streets. Wives, daughters, mothers, sweethearts, 
were bearing, as women must always bear, the severest shock of grief and 
loss, or were enduring as well they might, as women must always endure, 
the dreadful stress of uncertainty and the almost overwhelming waves of 
anxiety. The excitement, the enthusiastic excitement which marked the 
early days of the war had gone by. The souls of men and women were 
chastened. The war had become a serious and a dreadful thing. And in 
1864 mens' minds were clouded; we could not know for certain the issue of 
the war. And yet there remained in Lancaster, as weU as in the rest of the 
country, the firm resolve and the high purpose that whatever might be, the 
Union should be preserved. And in the autumn of 1864, there were gathered 

[101] 



LANCASTER 

up in this Town and community more than a score of men towards the forma- 
tion of the 17th New Hampshire Regiment commanded by Col. Henry O. 
Kent. Happily these were the last. 

As I have said, there was no telegraph in the Town then ; it came two 
years later; news came by mail, much of it through the Boston dailies, 
particularly the Boston Journal. And I remember well how men in crowds 
gathered in the old post office under the Town Hall and upon the platforms, 
awaiting the arrival of the coach and the mail and the papers at night, in 
order to learn what had been the fortune of war the daj' previous. Some- 
times several neighbors clubbed together and received and read one copy 
of a daily paper. Sometimes in store or shop some one man read the con- 
tents of the daily paper to his neighbors and friends. It is no more than 
truth to say that in 1864 the war, and Lancaster's relation to the war, were 
the real life of the Town of Lancaster. 

The war over, the soldier came back and was a citizen. He took up the 
work he had left. He handled the plough and the hoe, the yardstick, and 
the tool of his trade. On the farm, in the shop, or store, or office, or count- 
ing room, he became again a builder of Lancaster. The telegraph con- 
nected Lancaster with the outer world. Then the railroads came, first one, 
then another. New commercial and manufacturing enterprises were estab- 
lished. Wealth increased. Population became more than doubled. And 
soon there was every show of material prosperity, and the same has con- 
tinued until this day. 

But I have talked too long. We sons and daughters of Lancaster who 
have come back here to-day to Usten to the welcome greetings of our good 
old mother, find her happy, even radiant, clothed in beauty and grace. 
We revere her. We love her. We wish her as happy and satisfactory a fu- 
ture as her past has been. We shall not all of us be here in 1964, but those who 
shall then be here will say, I have no doubt, as we say now, that the fathers 
and mothers of the succeeding generations have kept the faith, have builded 
wisely and well, and have been worthy successors to those forefathers 
of the hamlet, so many of whom are now lying on the little hill over yonder 
by the church. Our dear mother Town, we salute you and we bless you. 



102 



A N N I V E R 



Governor S. D. Felker 

Me. Drew: Ladies and Gentlemen: It gives me pleasure now to 
introduce to you our Governor, Mr. Samuel D. Felker of Rochester, New 
Hampshire, who will speak to you for a few minutes. 

Gov. Felker: Ladies and Gentlemen, Citizens of Lancaster: It gives 
me great pleasure to be with you here to-day and to participate with 
you in this occasion. I bring to you the greetings of the State and wish 
you all prosperity. Someone has said that God might have made a more 
beautiful town than Lancaster, but that He never did, and I fuUy agree 
with that sentiment. 

I cannot help but admu-e the judgment of those early settlers who came 
from HaveriU, the second bend below here, to these fertile valleys, for agri- 
culture and farming conditions are the life of any community; where you 
see good farms you see comfortable homes and you see a prosperous and a 
happy community. Lancaster is fortunately situated because it has aU of 
this, and in addition it has the grand mountains which appeal to the whole 
continent and to the whole world. 

Lancaster, as I sat here, did not seem so very old. I have been told smce 
coming here that Mr. Stockwell, a grandson I beheve of the first settler of 
the Town, Emmons Stockwell, died here recently eighty-four years old, at 
whose birth some of the earUest settlers of the Town were still hving. Such 
is the small compass of human affairs. But during that existence Lancaster 
has had more than its portion of iUustrious men; men who have made a 
mark in the State. And someone has said to me to-day, in yon burymg 
ground Ues more brains than in any other community in the State of New 
Hampshu-e. But the brains that are in the cemetery are not aU the brains 
there are in Lancaster. They are a live and wide-awake people; a people 
who to-day make themselves felt the world over; what illustrious names has 
Senator Weeks brought to your attention— take himself, who has done so 
much for his native town; take Judge Savage who has risen to the chief- 
justiceship of his State ; and take your own beloved Jordan. I bring to him 
the greetings of aU of the people of New Hampshire. They certainly wish 
him long hfe, and a return to health, and he will be forever held in ven- 
erable remembrance by all the citizens of the State. 

I might taUc to you of advancing freedom; I might talk to you of progress, 
and we have made much of it, and the individual has become freer and 
freer as years have gone by, and more valuable to himself, the community 
and the State. I might talk to you of peace, but the war across the conti- 

[103] 



LANCASTER 

nent has seemed to say there will never be any peace. I wish to God that 
those people who instituted the war had to do the fighting; then there would 
be no wars. But there is a brotherhood of man, thank God, and it is com- 
ing more and more to the surface. You show it to-day right in this 
commingling, in this getting together here in Lancaster. 

It is true that you are doing more by your government for the individual. 
New Hampshire is doing the same. I have thought as I sat here of the 
changes that have come over New Hampshire during these years. She has 
been prosperous in a material way. Look at your Savings Banks. I am 
told by the Bank Commissioner that there are two bank books to every 
family, and that the sum total of those are over nine hundred dollars to a 
family in the State of New Hampshire. 

In her manufacturing see what New Hampshire is accomplishing. Next 
to Boston, Manchester ships the largest amount of freight by the Boston 
and Maine Railroad. Look at our means of transportation. We are spend- 
ing several millions of dollars in improvement of our highways for the ac- 
commodation of ourselves and of those who visit us. In an educational way 
we are doing very much and making gi-eat progress. We are building a new 
normal school at Keene; our College at Durham, which is your college, 
everyone's college in the State of New Hampshire, had only about a dozen 
students when I was in Dartmouth. It has now over four hundred and we 
do not know what to do with the boys and girls, they are coming to us so 
fast. It is a great opportunity for those who seek an education. 

So in all of the things that go to make up a community, New Hampshire 
is proud of its existence; proud of its several communities dotted aU over 
the State. 

I congratulate you and bid you God speed. And when you come here in 
fifty years from now, as some of you probably wiU, may you be as prosper- 
ous and may you live under the best government that God ever vouch- 
safed to man. 



104 



N N I V E R S 



Honorable Edmund Sullivan 

Edmund Sullivan. Bom in Lancaster, April 19, 1865, son of Flor- 
ence and Margaret Sullivan. Graduated from Lancaster Academy; 
from Law Department of the University of Michigan, 1890. Prac- 
ticed law in Michigan for a brief period. Opened offices in Lancaster 
in 1892 and practiced his profession in partnership with Hon. W. H. 
Shurtleff and later with Mr. Fred C. Cleaveland. Moved to Berlin 
in 1901 and formed partnership with Daniel J. Daley (native of Lan- 
caster and present mayor of Berlin), which stiU exists. A Democrat, 
and active in politics. County auditor, 1898 — . At one time police 
commissioner. Delegate to Constitutional Convention, 1912. Present 
chairman of the State License Commission. Member of the Knights 
of Columbus and Elks. A prominent member of the State Bar and a 
son of whom Lancaster is proud. Married in 1894, at Lancaster, to 
Mary F. Kenyon, daughter of John and Ella F. (Creamer) Kenyon, 
of Salem, Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. SuUivan have two children, 
Harold and Miriam, both of whom are in coUege. 

Mr. Drew: Ladies and Gentlemen: We will now have a talk from 
Edmund Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan is one of the lawyers of Coos County, a 
good, sterling man. He is a son of one of our old citizens, — one of our old 
Irish citizens, one of the best class of men that we have ever had in Town. 
He will give us a talk of a few minutes. 

It gives me much pleasure to introduce Mr. SuUivan. 

Mr. Sullivan: Mr. Chairman, Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen: 
I am glad to be with you on this occasion, and I thank you for your kind 
invitation to take part in these exercises. But, notwithstanding your kind 
invitation, I rise to address you, laboring under a very severe struggle of 
feeling. I am here, however, in an interest common with yourselves, hop- 
ing for your hopes and praying that the success of Lancaster may be per- 
petual. And what I say to you to-day, I assure you carries with it the 
unction of a warm heart. 

One of the strongest passions that is implanted in the make-up of man, 
is the love for the place that gave him birth. This natural impulse is the 
basis upon which society rests; its benign influence has estabUshed and 
preserved governments, given freedom to the oppressed, and moulded and 
mellowed the human character. The pleasure of standing on the soil of the 
town of our birth, beneath the trees and surroundings that sheltered our 
boyhood and youth; the pleasure, although it carries with it a tinge of 
sadness, of seeing those whom we love ripen into serene and peaceful old 
age, is among the best pleasures of which the heart of man is capable. I 
realize that I do not come among you as a stranger. I was bom on one of 

[105] 



LANCASTER 

your farms on the "Out East Road." As a boy I attended your District 
Schools and your Lancaster Academy. It is here that I entered into my 
novitiate of law; and in that court house is where I tried my first case. 
Here is where I found Mrs. Sullivan, and here is where my children were 
born. And so, while it is not proper to inject into my remarks purely 
personal matters, you can appreciate that I come here with more than an 
ordinary interest, and that I speak to you as one returning to the house- 
hold from which he sprang. In coming here this morning, at a season of the 
year when God has seen fit to clothe the face of Nature at her best, when 
every object bids welcome, when a smile is crystallized in every landscape, 
I cannot but feel that, 

"The faces of my kinsfolk, the days of childhood flown, 
The echoes of her mountains, reclaim me as their own." 

It is not my purpose to cumber my remarks with any date or data re- 
pecting the early history of this Town. That would be simply a repetition 
of what is a familiar knowledge to you all. We all appreciate and we all 
understand the privations, and the hardships which the early settlers 
endured in coming up into this valley and carving this beautiful Town out 
of a wilderness. Their appreciation of the beautiful is evidenced by the 
places where they erected their first dwelUngs. It shows that they knew 
where to stop and where to commence to lay out the Town. Where can 
you find pleasanter spots than the Holton Homestead, and the Stockwell 
Farm? They also brought with them that spirit of natural justice that is 
the outgrowth of highmindedness and high ideals, and established a form 
of local regulation, connected with and part and parcel of the general govern- 
ment, and they transmitted to you, their successors in title, this Town 
which had prospered and flourished under their guardianship, — and since 
God gave the fruitful land of Canaan to Moses, there never has been a 
gift of such princely liberality. 

It is our good fortune to have been born in this town in this age. Our 
advent into it found it peaceful and pacific, — inhabited by strong men and 
women, free from intolerance, no clans, no vicious organizations, roads 
built, schools of high order maintained, public buildings established, churches 
well attended, its farmers prosperous and contented; its growth symmetrical 
and its progress within the easy reach of all; its public men filling high posi- 
tions of trust and confidence in the State and Nation; and, notwithstanding 
the hard labor and mental strain that is incident to the discharge of the 
duties in those positions, the interest of those men in their town never 
flagged or abated; they popularized the laws of the State and Nation by 
example and by a high order of citizenship. 

When this country was confronted by a real peril, not an imaginary one 
existing in the brain of some Emperor, and the nation called upon its sons 

[106] 




Mrs. L. F. Moore 
H. J. Whitcomb 



ANNIVERSARY 

to come to its rescue, Lancaster, to the everlasting credit of its brave men, 
living and dead, did its part. 

The citizens of Lancaster were an especially strong class. Perhaps as 
good evidence of this, aside from the marked progress of the Town itseK, 
was exhibited in their annual town meetings,— the best method of govern- 
ment that human ingenuity ever devised,— where they elected their town 
officers and made their annual appropriations. And whoever was elected 
to office, knew that he had an able and intelligent constituency back of him, 
and knew that his official acts were closely scrutinized, and at once felt that 
the straight and narrow path was the safe one to follow. The discussion of 
all questions that related to town affau-s was of the highest order, parti- 
cipated in by lawyers, doctors, farmers and everybody else who cared to be 
heard, with always opposition enough to create an intelUgent interest in 
town matters; it being always understood that their affairs would be run 
with the highest efficiency and strictest economy. But in whatever they 
did, there was no diminution of local sovereignty, no dwarfing of the indi- 
vidual citizen. 

Lancaster's right to achievement 

As we look back, can we wonder at Lancaster's achievements? From 
its ranks it has furnished two governors, a member of Congress, and a 
Justice of the highest court in the State. And this within my memory. 
They not only filled the offices creditably to themselves, but to the State 
and Town from which they came. Democratic in their make-up, filled with 
original ideas which they were not slow to advance, they were regarded by 
all as leaders in their day. In addition to this, Lancaster has always had a 
strong, sturdy, contented, rural population, which in every country, 
state or town, is an assurance of its strength and peace, when there should 
be peace; and a resource of courage when peace would be cowardice. 

In the tendency of the boys to quit the farm, there is abiding cause for 
regret, for we know that the country town is losing a citizenship that is 
virtuous and competent, patriotic and honest. But, as much as it is de- 
plorable, it is true that for many years, the tendency of the young men has 
been to gravitate towards the large cities,— akeady centre spots of danger, 
—with their idle classes, corrupt poUtics, vicious organizations, secret 
societies of anarchy and sociahsm, that are looked upon by thoughtful men 
as an impending danger. For myself, I regard it as just discord enough to 
render oiir attachment to our institutions more firm. I do not believe that 
those insidious organizations, while they may terrify neighborhoods and 
frighten constitutional alarmists, will ever arise to the plane of being 
classed as anything more than mere law violators, and will always be held in 
check by the legally constituted local authorities. 

But, after all, under wise legislation, beneficial to the farmers, the 

[107] 



LANCASTER 

fruits of which are for the first time being apparent, men, who as boys quit 
the farm, are now returning to their old homes, inspired in the belief that, 
after all, health and independence are more valuable than riches. 

THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES AT HOME 

The young men have commenced to see that there are opportunities at 
home; that the country towTi after all has always provided for its boys and 
girls who are thrifty and reliant ; that the life and repose on the farm is far 
ahead of the rush and the crowd of the city; that broad fields and lofty 
trees give better health and longer lives than brick buildings, hot pavements, 
and smoking chimneys. 

We must not forget that the government, local or national, no matter 
what it does cannot do all that is necessary to extend the general welfare 
of all its people; that the greater part of that duty has to be performed by 
the individual himself. The government gives its protection, but the 
welfare of the citizen is generally measured by the extent of his individual 
effort. Independent and self-reliant, he should ask nothing from the 
government that he himself can do. 

A few daj's ago, I visited the City of Washington. I was amazed as I 
looked upon the great public buildings, and realized their tremendous 
significance. I saw the home of the President, the supreme court, the 
house of representatives, the senate chamber, and its many other de- 
partments, and realized, in part at least, all they represented. It was by 
far the greatest sight I ever saw. In these great departments were working 
the best minds of the country, while perhaps not in unison, they were 
working collectively and individually for the betterment of the country, 
which means the rights of the citizen. Statesmen, as they were, and true 
to the elementary principles of this government, this could be, and was, 
their only object. 

I thought, as I stood there, of the great responsibihty they were carrjdng, 
how wisely they had met and solved the most abstruse problems, and 
above all and over all, how much we and the rest of the world owed to those 
great minds for broadening the fields of human liberty. 

On my return home, I was notified that I was expected to say something 
on this occasion. My mind naturally harked back to the old Town, to 
boyhood scenes and childhood days. Among other things, the days I spent 
on the farm came up before me. I thought of the farmers among whom I 
lived, — the first figure to stumble amid the early dawn and welcome the 
coming day. I remembered the farmer, living in a quiet modest farm- 
house, surrounded by great trees, encircled by his fields laden with maturing 
crops; within the house, thrift, comfort, from which courtesy and kindness 
never departed, and which always made the stranger welcome. In front 
of the door stood the farmer, independent, strong, resolute and determined; 

[108] 




Nevers' Band 
F. D. Carpenter 
Mrs. Sarah Eaton 



ANNIVERSARY 

a member of no entangling combinations and wearing no man's collar; 
planting his own crops in his own time, and selling them in his own way in 
a market of his own choice, master of his lands and master of himself. I 
watched him at his busy labors through the day, no halting, no resting; 
farming was his business and he was crowding his farm to its utmost 
capacity. And I saw the sun set and night settle down upon his home. 
I saw him spend the evening with his family, and read aloud extracts from 
the weekly paper, and finally I saw him, a simple man of God, gathering 
the family about him and aU kneeUng in prayer, close the record of the day 
by calling down the benediction of God upon his family and his home. And 
as those well remembered scenes came into my mind, notwithstanding the 
memories of Washington were still fresh, I came to the conclusion that 
in the home of the people hes the anchor of our Country; that its power 
begins there, and there its responsibihty ends. Back of the national Capitol 
stands the citizen and the home; the stabihty and permanency of the 
Capitol is dependent upon the patriotism and influence of the home. 

Yes, Lancaster, I return to you to-day to join with your other sons for 
the sole purpose of paying tribute to you ; but as I gaze over your beautiful 
streets, magnificent drives, beautiful valleys and hiUs, my mind falls back 
abashed and I reahze how idle is hmnan speech and how fruitless are the 
thoughts of men. I know you wiU keep yom- homes in the future, as you 
have in the past, pure and independent ; that you will teach your daughters 
in the future, as you have in the past, that they perform their duties with 
modesty and patience, for these quahties are the charms of women; that 
they should do nothing obtrusively for that is unwomanly ; your sons, that 
an honest conscience is every man's first political law, and that "His 
sovereignty rests beneath his hat," that honest labor, spent on the farm, 
from sixteen to twenty-one, is better than a like period of service in the 
army; that true patriotism does not require the smoke of battle in the 
front and the incinerating plant in the rear; but that no force can justify 
the surrender of the simplest right of the free American citizen. 

I realize that I stand among sacred memories; that the graves of my 
parents are in the inclosure yonder; that my youngest child is buried in the 
cemetery at the head of Main Street; that in each of the other cemeteries 
I have many friends. God bless them aU. 

In conclusion I wish to say, standing here reverent and uncovered, 
among thoughtful men and women, that there is no spot in this country 
where boy or man can better learn the lessons of highminded citizenship, 
of fortitude, and self-rehance, than right here in this old town of Lancaster. 

"The bridegroom may forget the bride, 

Was made his wedded wife yestreen; 
The monarch may forget the crown, 

That on his head an hour has been; 
The mother may forget the child, 

That smiles sae sweetly on her knee; 
But I'll remember thee, Glencairn, 

And a' that thou hast done for me." 

[109] 



Ye Olden Tyme Dance 

To be young again! Is it a wonder that such a sum- 
mons as this was sufficient to overcrowd the Town 
Hall on Wednesday evening, albeit that the ones that 
were so eager to go had been working or watching from early 
morning? It is certain that in some things the world pro- 
gresses at a marvelous pace, yet how eagerly those that are 
surfeited with the pleasures of the present generation grasp an 
opportunity to live again the days of their youth! Dignity 
and years were both left at home, together with modern 
costumes, on the occasion of "Ye Olden Tyme Dance" and 
youth, with a frown at Father Time, wandered forth from 
Lancaster homes clad in the costumes of long ago. This 
great gathering in the hall proved to be the long looked for 
"Fountain of Youth." Here the elders not only danced the 
dances of their youth, but they were filled with the spirit 
of that youth. It was as if the cloak of time had dropped from 
their shoulders and once again they were enjoying the days of 
their boyhood and girlhood. Modern dances had scarcely a 
place upon the program and for once the lovers of the dances 
of past days were in their glory. Many came to the hall 
dressed to represent the period of the dances. From secret 
chest had been brought forth heirlooms and gowns which 
had been worn upon wedding days, or perhaps had been 
handed down from earlier generations. It was a wholesome 
and never-to-be-forgotten sight upon which a crowded gallery 
looked that evening! 

[1101 




F. S. Linscott 
Frank Smith 
Merrill Shurtleff 



ANNIVERSARY 

The decorator had sensed the spirit of the occasion and 
heavy beams and somber finishings had been covered with 
light and airy draperies of many colors, blended together 
artistically, combining with the lights to give a brilliant stage- 
setting for the concert and dance. The crowd was so large 
that seats were put on the dance floor until the conclusion of 
the concert, while the capacity of the gallery was exhausted. 

Dr. William H. Thompson, who had the event in charge, 
had been thorough in the preparations, and the large number 
was accommodated with little discomfort. The concert proved 
a happy introduction to the dances and when the first number 
on the dance order was called many took the floor that had 
been strangers to the dance for two score years. Dancing 
with them were those young in years as well as in spirit, 
and all shared in the pleasures of the occasion. The audience 
in the gallery remained throughout, finding much to amuse 
in the animated scene upon the floor or in the various spe- 
cialties. 

The specialties deserve definite mention. The little maidens 
that gave the minuet in "Cinderella" repeated it upon the 
Town Hall stage and the graceful dancing of the little ones 
won instant approval. Lancaster rarely has laughed more 
heartily than she did at a series of old-time dances given by 
eight couples that knew how to dance them. They danced 
and danced with a tireless energy while the audience applauded 
them vigorously. These dances were in three parts: first, 
a Canadian eight-handed reel; second, a double four-handed 
reel; third, a cutting-out jig. The dancers that did so much to 
entertain and amuse by their work were John Carr, Michael 
Laughrey, James Donahue, Patrick Murphy, James Carr, 
Patrick Brown, John Mountain, Barney McGinley, Mrs. 
William Truland, Mrs. Joseph Coyle, Mrs. Ira Hicks, Mrs. 
Daniel Foster, Mrs. Joseph Lassone, Mrs. Patrick Sheridan, 
Miss Sarah Carr and Mrs. Emma J. Lorenze. John White, 
Patrick Praught and William McGee fiddled to their hearts' 
content and when the dancers had concluded their exhibition 

[111] 



LANCASTER 

they had given all a glimpse of what dancing really was in the 
days of their youth. 

Previous to the regular program of dances there was an 
hour's concert by Nevers' Orchestra of Concord. Arthur F. 
Nevers directed the musicians through what, perhaps, was as 
fine an orchestral program as had ever been given in 
Lancaster, which is not a stranger to good music. The concert 
numbers were all enjoyable while the solo selections by Mr. 
Nevers, cornetist, and Mr. Tozier, clarinetist, won special 
approval. The program as presented was as follows: 

1 March, "The Rivals," Von Blon 

2 Overture, "Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna," Suppe 

3 Cornet Solo, "Sphinx Temple Polka," Casey 

Arthur F. Nevers 

4 a — Polish Dance Kinawiak, Wienawsky 
b — Famous Quartette, Rigoletto, Verdi 

5 Clarinet Solo, "Serenade Badine," Marie 

Charles E. Tozier 

6 Grand Operatic Selection, " Faust, " Gounod 

7 Finale, "America Forever," Paule 

The response to the call "To the dance" was immediate, 
and the crowd of dancers assembled upon the floor, and 
through the entire program there was the fine music that 
characterized the concert by the same orchestra. 

Dr. Thompson, floor director, had gathered about him as 
aides, men familiar with the old dances, and so there was little 
confusion as quadrille or reel was called. The "old-timers" 
had not forgotten the way they danced two score years ago 
and needed but little prompting from the aides, Fielding 
Smith, Charles Wentworth, Isaac W. Hopkinson and William 
R. Stockwell. 

When the dance order, presented below, had been com- 
pleted, there also had ended the play time of the dancers. 
"Ye Olden Tyme Dance" had made happy the many that 
once again renewed their youth and entertained the larger 
number that had witnessed the scene of gaiety. 

1112] 



anniversary 
The Programme 

NUMBERS 

Exhibition of Old-fashioned Dances 

1 Plain Quadrille 

2 Virginia Reel 

3 Fisher's Hornpipe 

4 Polka 

Exhibition of Old-fashioned Dances 

5 Money Musk 

6 Tempest 

7 Lanciers Quadrille 

8 Petronella 

9 Waltz 

10 Portland Fancy 

11 French Four 



[113] 



The Automobile Parade 



THE chapter caption is that used upon the official 
program, yet it is inadequate to explain what greeted 
the crowds that were in Lancaster on Thursday fore- 
noon. Rather it might be termed a moving panorama of 
beauty in which one surprise followed another before the 
onlookers had had sufficient opportunity to admire to their 
content. A decorated automobile signifies but little, yet 
when used in connection with spectacular parades one thinks 
of flags and bunting draped from the body of the machine 
and perhaps flags and banners flying. It is not strange that 
when Roman Chariots, Cupids, Butterflies, Aeroplanes, and 
Flower Gardens passed along the streets that almost to a 
person the crowd remained in position until the moving line 
had toured the Town and returned to Main Street, that it 
might secure a second view of the beautiful spectacle. 

One would not form judgment upon a work of art by the 
number of square inches of canvas nor w^ould he estimate this 
parade of decorated automobiles by the number in line. 
Measured by quality it surpassed anything ever shown in 
Lancaster, ranking for the ingenuity of conception and the 
care to detail in workmanship with the parade of the previous 
day. It had been supposed that Lancaster had placed all 
of its emphasis upon the day before. It was hardly expected 
that there would be new ideas and further decided evidences 
of the artistic after Wednesday's parade, which would seem 
to have exhausted all such talent in Lancaster. Yet Lan- 
caster, when occasion calls, proves that its talents are not 
with the few but with the many, and thus the automobile 

[114] 



ANNIVERSARY 

parade was one of striking beauty, reflecting great credit 
upon the designers for their taste and originality. It was not a 
parade of a large number of cars with sufficient decorations 
to be classified as "decorated," but of fewer cars, each of 
which stood for work and for thought. 

Lancaster deserves the credit for the display, as the cars 
were all owned in Lancaster and decorated by Lancaster 
men and women. The invitation had been extended broad- 
cast to others outside to enter cars, and several of the mountain 
hotels had promised to do so, yet when the parade started 
none appeared, and only Lancaster-owned machines were in 
line. Yet Lancaster not alone saved the day but made the 
day. The superior quality of the cars entered gave the 
exhibition a tone and quality that could hardly have been 
surpassed, and might easily have been diminished. 

The parade started promptly at eleven o'clock from Soldiers' 
Park at the word from Bernard Jacobs, Esquire, master of 
ceremonies. Nevers' Band in a decorated truck furnished 
delightful music throughout the march. The cars proceeded 
at a slow rate of speed up Main Street and were greeted with 
continuous applause. Passing next through the principal 
streets of Lancaster, the paraders were greeted with decorated 
homes and the Stars and Stripes, while an equally admiring 
throng applauded as the cars sped on their way. The line 
of march was to the head of Main Street, countermarching 
to High Street, to Summer, Summer to Middle, Middle to 
Mechanic, Mechanic across Middle to Elm, Elm to Burnside, 
Burnside to Prospect, Prospect to Main and to Centennial 
Park. When the latter point was reached the occupants of 
the cars were welcomed by a living flag of little girls and boys, 
a spectacle which in its beauty was well adapted to the con- 
clusion of a parade in which splendor had been so conspicuous. 

Several tiers of seats erected opposite the Park were filled 
with the children. The flag with its stars and stripes was 
made by the children, about 200 of whom were in the display; 
the girls in white dresses and the boys with red and blue 

[115] 



LANCASTER 

shields provided the proper color. A vast crowd was assem- 
bled at this point so that many were priviledged to see the 
living flag, arranged by Miss Carrie Curtis, Miss Ola Hubbard 
and C. Bradley Jordan, Jr. 

Much interest was aroused by the award of the one hundred 
dollars that the Committee had set aside for prizes. The 
judges were Harry M. Paine, Esquire, of Providence, Rhode 
Island; Mrs. Kate Lockwood of Chicago, Illinois; and Mrs. 
Ralph C. Robertson of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The judges 
awarded first prize, fifty dollars, to Mrs. Lafaj^ette F. Moore; 
second prize, twenty-five dollars, to Harry J. Whitcomb; 
third prize, fifteen dollars, to Frank Smith; and fourth 
prize, ten dollars, to Fred C. Cleaveland, Esquire. 

The Celebration Committee occupied the first car in 
line. Six of the nine members of the Committee rode, being 
driven by L. G. Bailey in his car. The decorations of the 
machine were confined to floral garlands and hoops, draped 
from the four-sides, forming a delicate rather than elaborate 
scheme of decoration. Banners with the inscription, "Lan- 
caster's Celebration Committee" hung on each side of the 
car. 

Nevers' Second Regiment Band filled a large auto truck 
which had been draped with flags and bunting in National 
colors. During the entire procession the band played popular 
marches. 

Mrs. Lafayette F. Moore in her entry brought a glimpse 
of the long ago, back to the One Hundredth Anniversary of 
Lancaster when motor cars were not even seen in the dreams 
of the four venerable women riding on this later day to a 
first prize. Imagine a large touring car completely buried 
with evergreen brightened by poppies, and an idea will be had 
of its beauty. Red poppies were used in relief upon the top 
of the hood, and upon the four doors while two rows of the 
paper flowers extended from back to front, over the running 
board and fenders. In the middle of the car was a standard 
covered with green but lettered in red with the inscription, 

[1161 




E. F. Haley 

I. W. Hopkinson 

J. W. Haynes 



ANNIVERSARY 

"we were here fifty years ago." Ropes of evergreen twined 
with poppies, extended from the rear to the standard, on 
either side, to the top of the radiator and to the front springs. 
Two thousand paper poppies were used in the decorations. 
The passengers were Mrs. Lafayette F. Moore, age 86; Mrs. 
Ossian Ray, age 77; Mrs. Charles Allen, age 76; Mrs, Jared I. 
Williams, age 76; Irving Jones (chauffeur), age 20. The ear 
was awarded first prize. 

Merrill Shurtleff entered a car evidently just from 
the land of the butterflies. The machine had originally been 
draped in white but when it had entered the parade swarms 
of butterflies of brilliant hue had alighted upon its sides, 
picturing every color of the rainbow as the car passed on its 
way. Huge butterflies were on the hood and at the back of the 
body of the car, while hundreds of little butterflies in brilliant 
colorings literally covered the sides. The young ladies in the 
automobile were dressed in white and carried white parasols 
to which other butterflies had swarmed. In the car were 
Misses Priscilla Moore, Katherine K. Underwood, Sally F. 
Hening and Elizabeth W. Ladd. Herbert Woods was chauffeur. 

Mrs. Sarah J. Eaton entered a car that was exceptional 
for the ingenuity of its design. An aeroplane exemplified 
the march of progress. The tonneau was buried beneath 
asparagus and upon this bank rested a huge aeroplane, 
decorated with green and white cloth. Each detail of the 
machine was carried out in the perfect model. The three foot 
propeller revolved as the automobile moved, being connected 
with the propeller shaft of the car by a belt that received its 
give and take as the body of the car moved up and down on the 
springs. Eaton Leith was the aviator in an up-to-date 
aviator's costume. John C. Temple was the designer and 
chauffeur. He wore a white uniform, trimmed in green. At 
his side sat Master Parker Carpenter, grandson of Mrs. Eaton, 
also dressed in white. The work on this unique exhibit, 
one of the most pretentious shown in either parade, as well 
as the building of the aeroplane, was done at home. 

[117] 



LANCASTER 

Harry J. Whitcomb in his touring car won well deserved 
attention along the whole line. The car was designed to 
represent a floral conveyance, drawn by a large white swan. 
The latter was driven by two little children, dressed in white, 
who occupied a raised seat of flowers to the front of the wind- 
shield. The boys drove the swan with reins of white ribbon. 
The car was completely hidden by alternating rows of white 
and yellow chrysanthemums. The hubs of the wheels were 
covered with yellow blossoms and the spokes with white and 
yellow, alternating. The tires were the only visible part of the 
entire car. Mr. Whitcomb used 2,000 paper chrysanthemums 
in decorating his automobile. The passengers were all dressed 
in white, the ladies holding white parasols and wearing white 
bandeaux. The swan-drivers were Mr. Whitcomb's son, 
Master Raymond, and Master Howard Foshey, son of Mr. and 
Mrs. Charles Foshey. Mr. Whitcomb was the operator and 
with him were Mrs. Whitcomb, Mrs. Walter H. Sargent, and 
Mrs. Richard Clayton (W^ashington, D. C). This car was 
awarded second prize. 

Fred S. Linscott emphasized the changing of the seasons 
in his attractive entry. Maple leaves, which nothing can 
excel in beauty and variety of tints, were used in abundance. 
The "Change of Seasons" was represented by green leaves in 
front, gradually changing in color until the rear of the car 
showed the brilliant tints of autumn. The ladies in the car 
were dressed in white, carrying white parasols bordered with 
maple leaves. The occupants were Mrs. Bernard Smith, Miss 
Ruby Kennison, Mrs. Enos G. Fay and Mrs. Clinton Wheeler. 
Raymond F. Linscott was chauffeur. 

Fred D, Carpenter went to Japan for the scheme of his 
decorations, the brilliant colors of the far East being con- 
spicuous in the design. Japanese figured cloth was draped 
over the car and was then bordered with red chrysanthemums 
and ribbons of pale green. The brilliant Japanese costumes 
of the ladies riding in the car completed the striking effect. 
The passengers were Mr. and Mrs. Karl Scates of Boston, Mr. 

[118] 



ANNIVERSARY 

Scales operating the car; Mrs. Frederic R. Langworthy, 
Miss Florence Droney, Miss Mary Page, Miss Lucia Bass 
and Miss Lillian Simonds. The ladies carried Japanese 
parasols, 

Isaac W. Hopkinson had a car simply but tastily decorated. 
Sunflowers were the principal theme of decoration, while 
yellow streamers were also fanned by the breezes. Mr. Hop- 
kinson drove his car and with him were Mrs. Hopkinson, 
Mrs. Blanche Hayes (Moline, 111.), and Mrs. Gertrude Burn- 
ham (Berlin, N. H.). 

John Henry Haynes represented a butterfly driven 
by a fairy. The color scheme of the handsome car was orange 
and white. The car was bordered by orange and white 
blossoms, and the wheels were covered with bunting of the 
same color. A huge butterfly was suspended to the front of 
the hood, and little Mary M. Haynes sat in a beautiful elevated 
canopy driving the butterfly with reins of ribbons. Mr. 
Haynes was at the wheel, and the other occupants were Mrs. 
Haynes, Miss Minnie E. Wilson, JMaster J. Wilson Haynes 
and Master Elvin Bedel Haynes. 

Dr. Harry S. Pratt went to the Orient for what impressed 
many as one of the very prettiest cars in line. Few knew, 
however, that Dr. Pratt's car was decorated with Chinese 
material and that the costumes also had been brought over 
from China. The car was trimmed with figured satin banners 
of yellow and red. Dr. Pratt, Miss Olive McMann and Sum- 
ner Pratt occupied the car. The three were dressed in Chinese 
costumes. The machine was brilliant in its decorations and 
colorings. 

Frank Smith entered a chariot of Cherubs, and Miss 
Ruth Graham drove the car. The scheme of decoration was 
very elaborate. Asparagus and poincettias, the flowers that 
surrounded Mr. Smith's Florida home, enveloped the body 
of the machine, which to all appearances was drawn by a 
mammoth butterfly of brilliant hue. To the rear was an 
elevated seat from which Cupid (Esther Jean Smith, daughter 

[119] 



LANCASTER 

of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Chester Smith) guided the butterfly 
with red ribbons. Cupid was perfectly impersonated, even 
to wings of red and gold. The inside of the chariot was a 
bevy of beauty with the golden-haired cherubs, Katherine 
Laughrey, Evelyn Gullen, Barbara Langworthy, Elizabeth 
Ingerson, Mildred Currie, Marion Currie, Loraine Chandler, 
Genevieve Estes, Annie McGinley and Florinda Maloney. 
The car was awarded third prize. 

Willie E. Bullard was at the wheel of the suffragette 
car, in which the banners and colors of the organization for 
woman's suffrage were conspicuous. The attractive car was 
festooned with orange and white bunting; orange and white 
pompons were at each corner, on the hood and surmounted 
the standard. This standard, at the centre, read, ''Votes for 
Women," while streamers ran from the back of the car to the 
hood. Mr. Bullard guided the car and he was accompanied 
by Mrs. Bullard, Mrs. W. D. Marshall, Mrs. Frank Spaulding, 
Mrs. George F. Morris, Mrs. Louis A. Norcott (North Adams, 
Massachusetts), Mrs. Albert Belisle (Bridgeport, Connecti- 
cut), and Frank Smith. 

Elmer F. Haley and his guests rode within a flower garden 
of red poppies that was as dainty as taste and flowers could 
make it. At the point at which two floral arches intersected a 
basket of flowers was suspended. The arches were made of 
red double poppies, and the whole of the car was bordered 
with similar flowers. The body of the car was covered with 
white, the edges being fringed. The front and guards were 
also draped with the white bunting, dotted with poppies. Mr. 
Haley, in a white suit, drove the car, and with him were Miss 
Lurline Haley, Miss Hortense Kingsley and Miss Rena 
McKaig dressed in white and wearing red sunbonnets. Five 
hundred paper double poppies were necessary for the decora- 
tions. 

Fred C. Cleaveland was at the wheel of a car that took 
one back to the Roman arena until he noted that the chariot 
was much too delicate to engage in fierce combat with Ben 

[ 120 ] 




Col. Cross Homestead 
Scene at Park 
Slockwell Farm 
HoUon Homestead 



ANNIVERSARY 

Hur and other charioteers. Mr. Cleaveland, who designed 
the car and did the mechanical work, was rewarded by the 
words of praise that were heard on all sides. The design was 
that of a chariot completely concealing the car. Two white 
horses (merry-go-round horses) were driven by the little 
charioteer, Dorothy Cleaveland, and the wheels of the chariot 
revolved as the car was in motion, giving the appearance of 
a chariot under guide of a driver. Mr. Cleaveland, who was 
at the wheel, operated the car from an opening invisible to 
the spectators. The car was entirely covered with white, 
relieved by rosettes of purple and white. The horses wore 
white blankets and the reins were of white ribbons. Miss 
Cleaveland was costumed appropriate to the period she 
represented. Mrs. Cleaveland trimmed the car, assisted by 
Mr. and Mrs. George N. Kent and Mr. and Mrs. O'Neil 
Twitchell. This car was awarded fourth prize. 



[121] 



Thursday Afternoon's Attractions 

Part I — From the Mountain Top 

IT is considered a bit of pardonable pride for one to show 
his intimate friends his choicest and rarest treasures. 
It was, therefore, but natural that after Lancaster had 
entertained her guests in many "and varied ways that she should 
desire to escort them to the summit of one of her grandest 
mountains, there to behold nature, spread forth in all her 
glory, a broad outlook of rivers, mountains, meadows and 
hamlets. 

Many years ago the inhabitants appreciated that few moun- 
tain views excelled that to be secured from the summit of Mt. 
Prospect and a small hotel was erected which was the mecca of 
many before the White Mountains won world-wide renown. 
Gradually, however, local interest waned and the building fell 
into decay and with it the fame of Mt. Prospect, other than to 
the occasional mountain climber. It was left for one of 
Lancaster's sons, Senator John W. Weeks, to redeem Mt. 
Prospect and to awaken once more the interest in this charm- 
ing spot. Accordingly in 1912 he commenced the erection of 
a summer home at its summit and his generosity has caused 
the gate to be ever open and to-day Mt. Prospect is coming 
into its own, one of the select objective points of the tourists. 

Senator and Mrs. Weeks invited the visitors to the Anni- 
versary to make a special trip on Thursday afternoon to 
their summer home and the Committee planned for auto- 
mobiles to carry the guests there. Many of the cars made 
second and third trips up the road, and as a result the 
hosts cordially received quite a large party during the after- 

[122] 



ANNIVERSAKY 

noon and served refreshments. To many it was the first visit 
to Mt. Prospect or any mountain summit. To all it will be one 
of the greatest events of the week. Mt. Prospect stands some 
2,000 feet above sea level and 1,240 feet above Lancaster 
village. It is one of the companion mountains to Orne and 
Pleasant that make up the three so-called Martin Meadow 
Hills, about two miles southeast of the Town. The view from 
the summit in either direction is one of continued grandeur 
while the drive upon the well-made road furnishes a succession 
of scenic beauties. When the late George P. Rowell selected 
Mt. Prospect Farm, on the south side of the mountain, as 
his summer home he did so in the belief that he obtained the 
most perfect view of the Presidential Range. This, however, 
is but one of the gorgeous views that greet the eyes from the 
summit. 

The road to the summit represents a feat of engineering. 
The highway is eighteen feet wide and about one and three- 
quarters miles in length. The grade at its highest point is but 
twelve per cent, and automobiles make the journey with but 
slight difficulty. Words cannot express the beauty of the 
drive to the summit. As the road winds about the mountain, 
presenting the grand and obstructed views on east and south 
one marvels at the broad area of mountains, and for the first 
time is able to appreciate just how extensive are the mountain 
lands of this fair New Hampshire. 

Once the guests had reached the summit and before they 
had an opportunity to cast their eyes over some forty miles of 
landscape, their attention was halted by the summer home of 
Senator Weeks. Here is the little colony with its home, a stone 
observation tower with an invitation to all to enter, the 
garage, engine house and lodge. Near the foot of the mountain 
is a private reservoir. Each building is a model in its way, 
well built, substantial and of proper architecture. The stone 
observation tower rises above the surrounding forest and from 
it one may have an unbroken view in each direction. 

Senator Weeks' summer home is of two stories with a red 

[123] 



LANCASTER 

tile roof which may be seen from many parts of the village. 
The white stucco walls are substantial and confine an area 
about 75 by 33 feet. There are seven chambers, dining room 
and kitchen upon the first floor but the second floor is one 
huge room with two massive fireplaces. It is finished with 
plaster panels and the wood is dark oak. Four balconies lead 
from this room. The dining room has a tiled floor and the 
room is handsomely finished. The entire house is heated by 
steam. To complete a summer home that is made for com- 
fort and enjoyment there is a broad veranda about the whole, 
giving guests an opportunity to walk about the house and drink 
in the beauties of every mountain range that has added to the 
fame of this section. 

While the guests found much to commend and excite their 
admiration in the buildings there yet remained the view. 
Lancaster nestled at the foot, while further on, in either direc- 
tion, might be seen the little specks of white signifying other 
settlements. The Connecticut as it swallowed up Israel's 
River could be followed further for many miles as it wound its 
way through miles and miles of valley. Martin Meadow Pond 
mirrored the surrounding hills on this bright August after- 
noon and the landscape to right and left was dotted with other 
lakes and brooks. More than an hundred farms, made clear 
to the eye, testified to the thrift of the New Hampshire farmer. 
Vermont with its Lunenburg Hills, and the extended view 
beyond, added a sisterly contribution to the offerings of beauty. 
Looking over a broad expanse of farm and meadow land. 
Cherry Mountain looms up, and beyond the entire Presiden- 
tial Range, with Mt. Washington crowning them all. One 
sees the Franconia Mountains, while the Pilot Range, the 
Percy Peaks and the outlines of more remote ranges are but a 
part of a picturesque outlook. Mountains alone limit the 
picture, for the mighty chain encircles the whole imaginary 
canvas for a distance of hundreds and hundreds of miles. 

Senator Weeks' hospitality made possible this afternoon in a 
Temple of the Goddess of Beauty just as it has made possible 

[124] 








D. A . R. 

Mrs. H.li. Carpenter 

Mt. Prospect Grange 



ANNIVERS 



similar pleasure to others, for he has always cheerfully per- 
mitted any to share these wonders of nature with him. Mt. 
Prospect cannot be reproduced in words. It cannot be given 
justice even on canvas. It is just one of the most beautiful 
spots in the White Mountains, recognized for their peculiar 
splendor. 



[125] 



LANCASTER 



Part II — The Baseball Game 

It might be said that all Lancaster is a playground with its 
rivers and brooks, its hills and mountains, its fields and 
meadows, all making possible the enjoyment of the life out of 
doors, but Lancaster has a playground proper in the nature of a 
baseball ground and grand stand on land to the rear of the 
Lancaster House property. This provision for wholesome 
sport has many times been justified by interesting games, yet 
never more completely than by the baseball contest that was 
the athletic event of Anniversary Week. The charm that 
seemed to be guiding the entire program was roaming over the 
ball field, for the contest was seemingly made for the occasion. 
The Union Athletic Association of local players from Canaan, 
Vermont, and West Stewartstown, New Hampshire, defeated 
a team of Lancaster boys in an exciting game by a score of 3 
to 2. 

It was one of the largest and surely the best natured crowd 
that ever was on the field. The grand stand was early filled 
and spectators lined either side of the field. The number 
included the thirty-third degree fans and those that had never 
seen a ball game. All were in a holiday mood and cheered 
impartially the players of both teams. The scene in the last 
inning when Lancaster made a desperate effort to bat out a 
victory reminded one of an intercollegiate contest where cheer 
follows cheer and women root for victory. 

The game was well played and the score was close at all 
times. Remick, pitching for Lancaster, and Blais and C. 
Stevens, for the visitors, had a battle for honors and were 
equally effective. 

Morse, the first batter for Lancaster, scored one of the two 
runs made by Lancaster during the game. It was the inning 
in which Lancaster lost her best chance to win, for the visiting 

[126] 



ANNIVERSARY 

pitcher was unsteady. Morse was given a base on balls. Nourse 
singled advancing Morse to second base. Levasseur struck 
out. Leonard made a hit and the bases were full, and only one 
man out. Finnegan was passed and Morse was forced over 
the plate. Congdon struck out and Shurtleff popped to Lang, 
ending the inning, after which Stevens pitched more effectively. 
Lancaster scored her second run in the fifth before Union had 
counted. Remick hit safely, stole second, and came all the way 
home on an error. 

Union started a successful uphill battle in the eighth. A 
single by Lemore and two errors by Lancaster after two men 
had been retired, scored two runs and placed the teams at a 
tie. Lancaster went in hoping to hit out a run, but Blais was 
pitching airtight ball, and after Levasseur had batted safely, 
he retired the next three men on strikes. In her half of the 
ninth, Union sent Lang to bat, and he reached first on a misplay. 
Merrill walked, advancing Lang. Marsh went to bat for Chase, 
and made the hit that enabled Lang to score. 

Amid lusty cheering, Lancaster came to bat for her final 
effort. A single by Morse and an error made Lancaster's 
chances appear bright, but the first two men had been retired 
when the game assumed this rosy hue, and the rally was cut 
off without a score when Remick was caught at the plate. It 
was an exciting ending to a well-played game. The crowd left 
a bit disappointed perhaps, but as cheerful as when they 
entered for none begrudged the sportsmanlike boys from the 
neighbor town a well earned victory. 

THE PLAYERS 

Union A. A. Charles H. Stevens, pitcher and short stop; 
Leon Lemore, third base; George Blais, short stop and pitcher; 
Edward Terrill, catcher; George K. Lang, second base; Louis 
Merrill, first base; Vaughn Chase, right field; George Stevens, 
left field; Francis Sheehan, centre field; Merry Marsh, substi- 
tute. 
Lancaster. Lester Morse, left field; Newton Nourse, third 

[1271 



LANCASTER 

base; Valmore Levasseur, catcher; Thomas J. Leonard, first 
base and short stop; Rupert Finnegan, centre field; Forest 
Congdon, right field; William Porter Shurtleff, second base; 
Lester Moses, short stop and first base; Hermon Remick, 
pitcher. 

Safe Hits: Lancaster 6, Union A. A. 6. 

Errors: Lancaster 6, Union A. A. 4. 

Score by Innings: 

12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9— Total. 

Union A. A. 00000002 1—3 

Lancaster 10001000 0—2 



[128] 



ANNIVERSARY 



Part III — Other Features 

In the old Court House, erected in 1804, and the oldest 
public building in Town, the local chapter of the Daughters 
of the American Revolution, and named in honor of Ruth Page, 
held an "open house" on Thursday afternoon, and some three 
hundred guests were received at the informal reception. 

The old building which could tell an interesting story of 
service as court of justice, church, armory, library and school, 
is now having a well earned rest and on this occasion was gay 
with decorations, both within and without. Below a festoon 
of American flags on the front was the banner of the 
"D, A. R." and on the opposite side the card of welcome — 
"The D. A. R. are keeping open house to-day — do not forget to 
call. Two o'clock to four o'clock." 

An hospitable welcome awaited within, where punch and 
wafers were served by Mrs. Burleigh Roberts (Regent), Mrs. 
Merrill Shurtleff (Secretary), Mrs. H. F. Olmstead, Mrs. 
Israel Hight, Mrs. Mary Fletcher and Mrs. James L. Dow. 

The reception was held in the main room which was attrac- 
tively decorated in the blue and white of the Chapter. 

Few points of interest to Anniversary visitors excelled the 
"Stockwell Farm," to which many journeyed to visit the 
place where Emmons Stockwell took Ruth Page, his bride, 
and the so-called "Holton Homestead," standing at the head 
of Main Street, on the site where David Page (Junior) and 
Emmons Stockwell built the log cabin, in which they passed 
that first long and lonely winter in Lancaster. In 1780 the 
first two-story house erected in Lancaster was built upon this 
delightful spot and in this house reside Mr. and Mrs. Frederick 
Holton, who opened it to the Anniversary guests on Thursday 
afternoon. About one hundred visited the historic homestead 
where they were cordially received and registered. Refresh- 

[129] 



LANCASTER 

merits were served and Mrs. Holton was assisted in receiving 
by Mrs. Jett L. Bass, Mrs. Frank Smith, Mrs. Ralph C. 
Robertson, her guest (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), Mrs. Pitt F. 
Drew (Boston), and Miss Pauline Logan (Dorchester, Massa- 
chusetts), Miss Tilla McCarten, Miss Clarice McCarten, Miss 
Evelyn Moyle, Miss Margaret Timberlake, MissMarjorie 
Grannis, Miss Helen Underwood, Miss Elizabeth Jackson and 
Miss Olive McMann. 

Ruth Page Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revo- 
lution held a most interesting as well as remarkable exhibition 
of antiques in connection with the Anniversary, and among the 
relics were many owned by the first families of Lancaster, and 
now cherished by their descendants. The exhibition was held 
in the Bailey Music Rooms in order that it might be readily 
accessible. One side of the large show room was completely 
filled with the exhibits which numbered several hundreds. 
Manager Garvin R. Magoon of the Bailey Music Rooms, co- 
operated with the Committee of the Chapter, and in one 
window was the electric sign " 1764," and in the other, " 1914" ; 
for in one window were displayed utensils of the most modern 
invention, including a miniature automobile, complete in each 
detail and propelled by electricity, made by Frank Smith, a 
nineteen year old boy from North Stratford. In the door- 
window was a large portrait of Senator John W. Weeks, 
with the inscription, ''God Reigns and the Government at 
Washington still lives." 

Mrs. Merrill Shurtleff, Miss Charlotte Craibe and Mrs. 
Frank Spaulding had charge of the exhibit of antiques which 
was viewed by many hundreds. Among the articles exhibited, 
were Beecher table; wheel brought over from Ireland over 
200 years ago; spinning wheel; saddle bags formerly owned by 
Dr. Samuel Legro, pioneer physician; andirons used in Revo- 
lutionary War by ancestor of Eliza Rix Spaulding; brown and 
white platter more than 100 years old; old music rack made of 
butternut; churn over 200 years old; wool cards; home-made 
chair once property of Capt. E. Rosebrook; clock reel; first 

[1301 




Court House 

Town Hall and Masonic Temple 

William D. Weeks Memorial Library 



ANNIVERSARY 

gong used at Lancaster House; old-fashioned chair of *' Parson" 
Willard; carpet bag (1700); cowhide trunk; Mrs. William D. 
Weeks' wedding bonnet, 66 years old; cowhide trunk of Mrs. 
Richard C. Everett; glass cream pitcher, 125 years old; pocket 
book, 100 years old; pitcher (1807); old blue platter stamped 
with thirteen original states; beautiful back comb; horn spoon; 
old documents; medal of King George III; old powder horn 
used in Revolutionary War; tray made from a pew of the old 
meeting house; report of Centennial Celebration; stone axe; 
pewter plates and candle sticks; warming pan and pewter 
platter; oil painting; picture of Lancaster upon a piece of wood 
from panel of the old meeting house; two silhouettes and comb; 
embroidered apron, 100 years old; coat of arms; baby bonnet, 
100 years old; writ and copy book; pocket book, 120 years old; 
act of House of Representatives in 1781; blue bowl from Bemis 
House; ten pieces of Continental money; baby dress, 80 years 
old; hand bags; table cloth; letter of Drucilla Everett to her 
father, Richard Clair Everett, written in 1812; four glasses 
used before the Revolutionary War in the Tavern at Charles- 
town; badge worn by James Rix at dedication of Bunker Hill 
monument, also portrait of Mr. Rix; brass kettle, 135 years 
old; tea cup and saucer, 200 years old; doll's bureau, 75 years 
old; uniform of Governor's horse guards; hand reel; large and 
valuable pitcher; sampler; needle work; hand bags; old silk 
hat; picture first Prospect Farmhouse; Ruth Page's foot-stove; 
waffle irons, 125 years old; decanter; case bottle; three brass 
candle sticks; Coat of Arms of Brackett family; sampler 
(1785); copper tea kettle brought by Phoebe Spaulding in 
1767 filled with seeds; pewter set (1505); cup and saucer, 100 
years old; sampler made by Mercy Stockwell; picture embroid- 
ered by Mercy Stockwell; old toaster; plate — "Landing of the 
Pilgrims," 90 years old; carpet bag owned by David Greenleaf ; 
early prints; melodeon; mouth piece; accordeon; whale oil 
lamp; old violin; cane brought from California gold fields 
around Cape Horn in 1852 by "Uncle Ben" Silsby; trunk 
(1683); fork. 

[131] 



LANCASTER 

All of the fraternal orders, the churches and the public build- 
ings were open during Anniversary Week, either as a meeting 
place for members and guests or for rest. A registration booth 
was conducted at the Park under the direction of Mrs. E. R. 
Stuart, and Mrs. Herbert E. Howe, and while but a portion 
present during the week registered, the total number was nearly 
two thousand. Guests registered from many states in the 
Union, also from Canada, Norway, Sweden and England. 

A large number of souvenir badges were worn during the 
week. In all respects it was a gala week with its attendant 
features. 

A delegation from the Boy Scouts co-operated with the Com- 
mittee in giving information when desired, the boys so acting 
being Clark Hartford, Neal Congdon, Wallace Blood, Harold 
Matson, Paul Smith, Howard Snow, Raymond Matson, 
Philip Crosman, Raymond Simonds, Bartlett Carleton, Her- 
bert Carter, Francis Bernier and Edgar Ingerson. 



132' 




The Historical Play 

Part I— Story of "The Founders" 

Anniversary of this character would be complete 
without special emphasis at some point upon the 
historical. Dances and songs, parades of exceptional 
merit and addresses, even if of an historical character, are 
not sufficient in themselves to perpetuate the historical sig- 
nificance of the occasion. ''The Founders" proved to be the 
happy selection of the Committee to make complete a memo- 
rable program. 

Picture a large auditorium in which every seat is filled, while 
the story is told in drama, written by a Lancaster boy, of the 
courage and hardihood of the early settlers, told, too, by Lan- 
caster's own talented actors, and you have the climax to Lan- 
caster's Anniversary. The music of those August days may 
become forgotten melodies and the beauties of parades may 
fade with time, but into a large company was permanently 
emplanted by "The Founders" the example of the early 
settlers of Lancaster. 

One man has said that he had seen many historical pageants 
in England, but he had never seen anywhere such a satisfac- 
tory historical reproduction as "The Founders." An audience, 
tired from the week's festivities, viewed the stage scenes and 
listened to the story, but it left enthused at the production. 

Unfortunately the hall's capacity of eight hundred was not 
sufficient to provide for all and many were obliged to forego 
the attraction, but townspeople had quite generally provided 
for their guests. 

"TheFounders"waswrittenbyFred W. Baker, Esquire, and 

[133 1 



LANCASTER 

reflected much credit upon him. He also staged the show and 
was active in arranging its presentation. The costumes, his- 
torically accurate, were designed by Miss Katherine Sawin. 

Mr. Baker, the author, is a Lancaster boy, the son of Mr. W. 
G. Baker. He was educated in the local schools and was gradu- 
ated from Dartmouth in the class of 1903. He then entered 
the Harvard Law School, receiving his degree in 1908. After 
a brief office experience in Boston, he returned to Lancaster 
where he has since engaged in the practice of law. 

Mr. Baker put his story of Lancaster into two acts and 
through each he brought a degree of action, always appreciat- 
ing that he was limited to the scenic possibilities of the Town 
Hall. In selecting his cast, also, and in suggesting the inter- 
pretations he was confined to historical accuracy wherever he 
was picturing an historical character. In spite of these restric- 
tions there was no blemish on play or interpretation. Fortu- 
nately perhaps, Mr. Baker had no Anniversary in mind when 
he wrote "The Founders" or he might have been tempted to 
omit some of the fictitious characters introduced to furnish 
comedy or aid the action. The opening act was much the 
creation of the author's imagination although it told of the 
early trouble with the Indians and introduced Capt. John 
Stark and Israel Glines. The early settlers, however, had no 
such comedy in their lives as Patsy provided the Anniversary 
audience. 

The curtain rose on an Indian camp where Chief Metallak 
held sway. The time was early in the year of Lancaster's 
settlement, and the place at the falls, Northumberland, where 
the St. Francis braves had returned from a visit to the settle- 
ment of the whites at Newbury, Vt. Some of the Indians had 
captured Captain Stark and Patsy, his handy man, and Metal- 
lak intends to make them suffer for the encroachment of the 
whites upon his territory. Stark is little moved by his anger, 
but Patsy is thrown into terror. The braves have much 
amusement at his expense and Patsy wins the good graces of 
Leona, the daughter of Metallak. In fact his proneness to fall 

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ANNIVERSARY 

in love has caused him much previous trouble. Metallak 
ascertains that Stark has been exploring the Coashaukee 
Meadows for the purpose of settlement and with the explorer 
as guide starts off to secure the aid of the French in Canada in 
hope of driving out the whites. 

The second scene presents the old trapper, Israel Glines, as 
he makes his camp for the night on the river (Israel's) bank, 
after first setting his bear trap. He is aroused by Metallak 
and his band who had been misled by Stark, who later escaped. 
The Indians are about to burn Glines as a sacrifice to appease 
the Great Spirit, when Stark appears with a company of Roger's 
Rangers upon whom he had chanced. Glines is saved, and 
Metallak and his braves captured. At about this time Patsy, 
who had been left behind by Metallak when he was searching 
for Stark, was found caught in the bear trap into which he had 
wandered. Stark and Glines exchange experiences, and Stark 
names the new river in honor of its discoverer, Israel's. The 
act ends dramatically with the peace pact between Chief 
Metallak and the whites. 

The second act concerns the settlement of Lancaster and 
introduces well known characters. On August 26, 1764, the 
men are gathered about the door of the first log cabin and they 
tell the story of the settlement, and young David Page and 
Emmons Stockwell recite the experiences of their first winter. 
The men are talking of the day's work when Governor Page 
and his daughter, Ruth Page, arrive from their home in Peter- 
sham, Mass. She is cordially received by the boys and ex- 
presses her delight. She has but a few words with her former 
lover, Emmons, and there is evidence that there is a lover's 
quarrel. Patsy has joined the camp and continues to create 
merriment. 

The second scene is the following morning, after the great 
frost that had destroyed the corn. The men gather in front of 
the cabin and discuss the situation. Governor Page presides 
and all appear favorable to abandoning the settlement. Be- 
fore the vote is cast, Ruth Page steps from the cabin and facing 

[135] 



LANCASTER 

her father demands a right to speak. At the intercession of 
Edwards Bucknam, Governor Page reluctantly grants Ruth's 
request. She makes a plea for the preservation of the colony, 
calling upon the men to make one more trial and not be re- 
pulsed by a single reverse, saying, "Men, will you admit, dare 
you admit, that you have less persistence than I — a woman?" 

"Good for you, Ruth! You can count on me," replies 
Edwards Bucknam, and she wins the day. 

The curtain falls upon this climax and rises on a love scene 
(two hours later) between Ruth and Emmons and their 
betrothal. 

The final scene in the interesting story is staged at the new 
home of Ruth and Emmons upon their return from a wedding 
trip to Petersham, Mass., and the surprise party given by the 
neighbors. Emmons also succeeds in making a match between 
Patsy and Leona. During the Virginia reel the curtain falls 
upon the happy company of settlers, "The Founders," and 
upon the Anniversary. 

The above is but an epitome of the play. It omits many of 
the characters that enter into the story, and fails to show the 
interesting dialogue. The scenes are well chosen and from first 
to last there is an action that carries the story smoothly to a 
fitting climax. 

The story of the production itself follows, written by Mrs. 
Harry B. Carpenter, whose experience makes her eminently 
qualified to do so. 



[136] 



NNIVERSART 



Part II — The Production 
By Mrs. Harry B. Carpenter 

"Standing Room Only" told the story when the curtain 
arose on Thursday evening, upon the crowning event of Lan- 
caster's One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary. "The 
Founders," a drama into which had been woven actual inci- 
dents and scenes occurring in the lives of the early settlers of 
the Town, in whose honor all had been making merry during 
these anniversary days, had been one of the most talked of 
features of the celebration, and this is the evening of its ac- 
complishment. A murmur of pleasant expectancy was audible 
as the audience reviewed the synopsis of the play and the cast 
of characters, a murmur which ceased only when the curtain 
was raised disclosing a very artistic forest scene. 

The first half of the play, relating to episodes preceding the 
settlement of Lancaster, presents the historical characters. 
Captain Stark, Israel Glines, the Roger's Rangers, and several 
Indian scenes. It also introduces Metallak, Chief of the St. 
Francis Indians, a creation of the author and perhaps the best 
developed character of the play, and Patsy, Stark's Irish at- 
tendant, who furnished the humor of the entertainment, a 
characteristic in which amateur plays are apt to be woefully 
lacking. 

The second part introduces the characters intimately con- 
nected with the actual settlement of the town, the Pages, Senior 
and Junior, Emmons Stockwell, Edwards Bucknam and Ruth 
Page, and the action centres about the romance of Ruth and 
her pioneer lover, Emmons Stockwell. 

The dialogue between Edward Hurley as Captain Stark and 
Herbert H. Sanderson as Israel Glines was intensely interest- 
ing from an historic viewpoint, and in the various dramatic 

[1371 



LANCASTER 

scenes through which their adventures led them, these two 
actors played the parts of the wily Indian fighter, and the mod- 
est trapper, respectively, with fine spirit. Thomas W. Wallace, 
as Saco, the Indian warrior, together with Miss Runey as the 
Squaw, and Miss McCarten, as Leona, daughter of Metallak, 
lent a touch of the picturesque to the forest scenes of the first 
act, the costuming being particularly attractive. Miss Mc- 
Carten, as Leona, had a very short speaking part but made the 
most of it, and one wished she might have been given greater 
opportunity to display her talent. She was a striking picture 
at the door of her wigwam, clothed in the rich barbaric costume 
of the Chief's daughter. The Roger's Rangers always appeared 
at just the right moment to win their way with the audience, 
and received generous applause. The part of Metallak, the 
Chief, was taken by Chester Bradley Jordan, Junior, and this 
character was the best work of the author, dignified and true 
to the Indian type. In it Mr. Jordan found opportunity to 
display one of the finest exhibitions of dramatic acting ever 
seen on the local stage. 

In Patsy, Mr. Damon had a part after his own heart, and 
beguiled the audience by his Irish wiles into gales of merri- 
ment, so that whenever "Patsy" appeared it was safe to begin 
to smile. 

Mr. Savage, who took the part of David Page, Senior, was a 
new figure to a Lancaster audience and made a dignified if 
somewhat irascible "Founder." Elwyn Wheeler as Edwards 
Bucknam, Thomas W. Wallace as David Page, Junior, and 
Gladstone Jordan as Emmons Stockwell, played their parts 
well, but one of the bright particular stars of the play was Ruth 
Page, the heroine of the early settlement of Lancaster. This 
part, presented by Mrs. David M. White, was a splendid piece 
of acting. One forgot Mrs. White entirely, and it was Ruth 
herself who coquetted with the bashful Emmons, inspired the 
ardent Patsy or dominated the first "town meeting." In the 
last scene she was a charming embodiment of the old-fashioned 
virtues which had culminated in the home-maker. It was not 

[138] 



ANNIVERSARY 

only to Ruth the heroine, but to Mrs. White, the actress, that 
the audience paid tribute as they greeted her with applause. 
Our only regret was that Ruth could not have appeared earlier 
and Metallak lived longer in the play. 

The young ladies in their old-fashioned gowns and the men 
in colonial costume made a pretty closing scene as they tripped 
through a few measures of the Virginia reel to the strains of the 
violin. 

The fact that the play — and it was quite long — held the 
interested attention of an audience weary with two strenuous 
days of celebrating, from the moment when the curtain rose 
on the first act until it dropped at the close of the last scene, 
proves conclusively that it was both well written and well 
acted. As the audience returned homewards many expressions 
of approval were heard, both for the author, who had done an 
exceedingly difficult task well, and for the actors who had 
striven so successfully to carry out his ideas. It was a fitting 
close to a most successful celebration; a play well written, 
carefully staged, correctly costumed and finely acted. Lancas- 
ter may well feel proud of the talent displayed in the inception 
and completion of such a task. People wish to be beguiled 
and to forget, but sometimes they are glad to be informed and 
to think, and such an exposition of old time customs and vir- 
tues fulfils the double purpose. 

The cast of characters follow: — 

CAST OF CHARACTERS 

Metallak, chief of the St. Francis Indians Chester B. Jordan, Jr. 
Saco, chief warrior of the tribe Thomas W. Wallace 

John Stark, explorer Edward Hurley 

Patsy, Stark's handy man Elwin Damon 

Israel Glines, trapper Herbert H. Sanderson 

David Page, Sr., charterer of Lancaster Charles F. Savage 
David Page, Jr., settler Thomas W. Wallace 

Emmons Stockwell, settler Gladstone Jordan 

Edwards Bucknam, settler and surveyor Elwyn Wheeler 

[139] 



LANCASTER 

Squaw Miss Vivian Runey 

Leona, daughter of Metallak Miss Tilla McCarten 

Ruth Page, daughter of Governor Page Mrs. David M. White 
Indian Warriors — Patrick Murphy, Daniel Brown, George 

McCarten, Neal Congdon, Frank C. Smith, Michael 

Murphy, Harry Carpenter. 
Roger's Rangers— Charles Hart, Clarence Hart, Harold Lane, 

Clifford Atkins, Philip Crosman, David Lewis. 
Soloist for Indians Patrick Murphy 

Soloist for Rangers Dana Rosebrook 

Fiddler Fred C. Cleaveland 

Settlers and Families: — Clarence Hart, Charles Hart, Louise 

M. Smith, Clarice McCarten, Vivian Runey, Mildred 

Blood, Elizabeth Carpenter 
Indian Boys and Girls: — Bradford Damon, Marston Crosman, 

Dorothy Jacobs, Lucia Bass 
Act One — Lancaster before the Settlement. 
Act Two — Lancaster and its Settlement. 
Specialties — Between Scenes 1 and 2 of Act 1; Song, "In 
the Good Old Days," by Mr. Murphy and the Indians. Words 
by Mr. Baker. Between Scenes 3 and 4 of Act 2; Song, "If 
Yankee Doodle Came to Town," By Mr. Rosebrook and 
Roger's Rangers. Words by Mr. Baker. 

Costumes designed by Miss Katherine Sawin and believed 
to be substantially accurate historically. Compass used by 
Edwards Bucknam in surveying the Town; table in last act 
that used by Emmons and Ruth Stockwell. 



[140; 



COMMITTEES IN CHARGE 

GENERAL COMMITTEE 

HERBERT A. MOORE, Chairman 

ELWIN DAMON, Secretary and Treasurer 

HARRY J. WHITCOMB, MRS. FRANK SMITH, 

MRS. BURLEIGH ROBERTS, MRS. FREDERICK 

HOLTON, MISS LILLIAN ROSEBROOK, 

ORRIN WENTWORTH, JOHN SAVAGE 

AUXILIARY COMMITTEES 

Decorations — James L. Dow 

Parade — Charles W. Sleeper 

Floats— W'lWi&m. H. McCarten, Mrs. George F. Morris 

Automobile Parade — Bernard Jacobs, Fielding Smith, 

George N. Kent, Mrs. Fred B. Spaulding 
Drills and Dances — Miss Carrie A. Curtis, Miss Jennie 

McGary, G. B. Jordan, Jr. 
Seating and Platforms — Lewis Crawford, John H. Smith 
Olden Tyme Dance — Dr. William H. Thompson 
" The Founders" — Fred W. Baker, Miss Katherine 

Sawin, Miss Gertrude Rosebrook, Roger W. 

Rhodes 
Automobile Trips — Miss George Eaton 
Publicity — David M. White 
Lemonade — Mrs. Elwin Damon, Mrs. George F. 

Morris, Mrs. George W.Lane, Mrs. Ralph Sinclair, 

Mrs. A.B.Crosman, Mrs. C. B. Pelton 
Memorial — Miss Mary N. Brackett, Mrs. Jett L. 

Bass (ex-ofRcio), Mrs. Chester B. Jordan, Mrs. 

William P. Buckley, Mrs. Fred B. Spaulding, Mrs. 

W. H. Leith (deceased), Mrs. J. W. Weeks, 

Miss Mary Ladd 
Reception — Eri Oakes, W. H. Thompson 
President of the Day — Hon. Irving W. Drew 
Chief Marshal — Fielding Smith 



The Anniversary Lesson 




UTH PAGE STOCKWELL 

taught the women of Lancaster to 
smile through hardships, to be 
patient, courageous and self-sacri- 
ficing. She showed them that 
motherhood is woman's sphere even when 
the calls of duty are many. Emmons Stockwell 
and David Page taught the youth of Lancaster 
that the road to success is paved with obstacles 
and that each must make his opportunity if 
it is not near at hand. Edward Bucknam 
taught our citizenship public spirit and the 
possibilities of service to others. He is an ex- 
ample of resourcefulness and human kindness. 

This little band of pioneers taught perse- 
verance, fortitude and constancy. They reaped 
the reward of thrift, frugality and right living. 
Their content was not dependent upon palace 
or luxury. 

The lesson of the Anniversary is the lesson 
of these lives we have honored. The pioneers 
of Lancaster left to their posterity a noble ex- 
ample. The reawakening of interest in them 
through this Anniversary should result in a 
firmer hold upon those virtues they exemplified. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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